Jealousy
by Snape's Bikini
Summary: When Draco finds something of Hermione's that gives him power over her, she finds out that the blonde Slytherin has more to him then his snarky exterior. Dramione pairing. Seventh year, Hogwarts. Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
1. It begins

Hey Nat and Jess here, this story is actually our roleplay that we do over msn but we wanted to try and post it as a story and see how well it does, In bold is **Jess's Reply **and in normal is Nat's Reply. It's a Draco/Hermione pairing and all the character belong to J.K Rowling, as usual.

The lovely Hermione is role played by the lovely Jess and the ever snarky Draco is role played by the not so snarky Nat. Please read, review and enjoy! Thanks!

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**Hermione Jane Granger, resident book lover and Gryffindor, also known as Harry Potter's best friend and 'brains' as well as a recently added title of Ronald Weasley's girlfriend.**

**Things couldn't be better. Or so she had thought. "This can't be happening!" Hermione's voice screeched through the Gryffindor tower at five in the morning, the sun not even making an appearance yet as she ruthlessly searched through the tower. **

**"My book!" she said dramatically to a sleepy Harry and Ron as they came down from the boys' dorms after having heard her yell. Harry sighed and Ron rolled his eyes, something along the lines of 'bloody books' being muttered under his breath. **

**"What was that Ronald Weasley?" she asked in a tense tone. Ron put his hands up in his defense. "I didn't say anything," he exclaimed in a weak tone. **

**"Do either of you know where my Hogwarts: A History book is?" she demanded of both of them. This was tragic! How could this happen to her of all people! Her precious book! Harry shook his head. "Sorry Hermione, we haven't seen it," Harry said as he stifled a yawn**

**Several hours later, the golden trio now currently sitting at lunch Hermione was still going on about her book. "Mione It'll pop upeh somewhere," Ron said his mouth full of chicken before swallowing. "Just eat something please!" he exclaimed as he pointed at her plate not a scrap of food having been touched. Hermione glared at him in disgust and didn't even acknowledge him until he swallowed and spoke like a normal human being. **

**"Someone has stolen my book!" **

**Harry and Ron sighed. "Honestly," came Lavenders voice from the other side of Ron. Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly at the other Gryffindor, the prettier, louder, more outgoing Gryffindor that had a thing for Ron. **

"**Can't you think of anything except your books? You should tame your hair, maybe use a little make up and find out about the latest gossip!" Lavender smiled and Hermione snorted before standing up. **

**  
"Potions is in an hour, don't either of you be late," she said to Harry and Ron, kissing Ron on the cheek before basically zooming out of the Great Hall and heading towards the library. Little did she know that her boyfriend was up to something…**

Draco was sitting at the far end of the Slytherin table, alone as usual. He ate quietly and apart from Blaise and Pansy no one paid him any attention. He had been branded a failure by Slytherin since he had failed to kill Dumbledore himself and a failure by the rest of the school for trying in the first place. The blonde boy sighed and rolled his eyes at bickering from the Gryffindor table, wishing they would shut up so everyone could enjoy their breakfast. The most sickening development of their last year at Hogwarts was, in his opinion, the new relationship between Granger and Weasel. They certainly deserved each other, but they bickered and argued over every single stupid detail and he preferred quiet to pigheaded Weasels and know-it-alls blabbing on and on about some book.

He glanced over to the table just as Hermione was leaving and narrowed his eyes at her. That stupid Potter and his brigade of do-gooders were the reason he had even been accused of anything in the first place. If it wasn't for them then his father wouldn't be in prison and he would still be the most popular boy in their year. Of course, most people had only respected him through fear or not wanting to be one of his targets for torment themselves. Now they knew he was just full of hot air and ignored him completely. The occasional girl or two would attempt to make a name for themselves in his bed, but he just wasn't interested. It was like he had lost his fiery temper and his will to live. Around the right people, he could still be just as snarky as ever. Especially around the mudblood.

Just as Draco was about to turn his attention back to his lunch he noticed something strange. Lavender was fawning over 'Won-Won' as usual, but he didn't seem to be telling her to back off like he did when his loyal girlfriend was around. Shaking his head, he ignored it and finished eating. The last thing he needed was to get involved in these fool's drama. What he didn't know as he got up to leave was that Ron and Lavender had slipped out of the great hall only a few moments before him.

"Draaayco?" Pansy's voice called after him as he left the great hall. Normally Draco would have stopped and acknowledged her, but it had been a long year already for him and it had barely started. He couldn't be bothered to pay his usual attention to the obnoxious slip of a girl. Ducking into the nearest classroom, he let out a soft sigh of relief and froze when he heard noises behind him. Slowly, very slowly, Draco turned to see the most horrible sight he had ever laid eyes on.

Weasel…and Lavender…oh merlin. He was going to be sick. The strangled noise of horror that escaped his throat alerted the other teens to his presence and before Ron could say anything or even pull on some clothes, Draco had taken off in a run. Vile! Horrible, disgusting, bloody images! Weasel's freckled arse would forever be permanently etched into his mind. Oh ho, but the smug little Gryffindor princess couldn't know about this or her and Ron wouldn't still be together… Hmm…and with potions first thing…a little sweet revenge was in order. Ah, the day was looking up after all. Still… Draco shuddered violently. Seeing Weasel's behind was almost not worth the revenge.

**Hermione spent the next hour within the library after drilling Madam Pince, the librarian, if she had any inkling as to who took her book or if she had perhaps seen Hermione misplace it. After being told to be a little more silent, and a strict 'no', Hermione went off sulking...well in a way, since it was rare for Hermione to sulk and not go about action as she should. She sighed and went through the library looking for a substitute book for the time being. Maybe, just maybe, her book would 'pop up' like Ron had said. **

**She was just about to settle down on a couch when Madame Pince came to her and informed her class would start in a few moments. Her eyes widened slightly and she quickly but carefully placed the book into her bag before running off to Potions. **

**However, no one was there when she got there just, to her utter annoyance, Draco Malfoy.**

Indeed, Draco was the only one who had made it to class early that day and he'd done it for a reason too. He was clearly more smug then he had been all year and his eyes lit up cruelly the moment Hermione entered the room. "Ah Granger, the filth of the wizarding world arrives. How's that shagging Weasel thing working out for you?" The blonde was casually leaning back in his chair, feet propped up on the table in a way that would make Snape furious if he were there.

He was trying to decide what the most hurtful way would be to tell her before everyone else arrived and continued to grin secretively as he watched her. Hermione was no fool and she would know something was up. Heh heh, and then his fun would begin.

**Hermione looked at him in disgust. She loathed everything about him. The way he always tried to be perfect, the way he always so arrogantly made himself comfortable but always in the best position so that everyone could get a good look at his body. He was so bloody frustrating! What was worse though, was the smug arse look in his eyes. After spending six years, this the seventh with him, she had come to read him...well not well, but decently. **

**She could tell that he was almost bursting to gloat or inform her about something that would probably ruin her day. "Why do you care Malfoy? You want him?" She then narrowed her eyes at the secretive grin and sighed. "Fine, come out with it. What is it that you're telling me today to ruin my life?"**

"So glad you asked," he chuckled coldly, sitting up a little in the chair and quickly removing his feet as Snape and a couple other people came into the room. "You wouldn't believe who I just saw shagging Lavender a few classrooms over..." He grinned wildly and waiting for her reaction.

There was a big chance that she wouldn't believe him, but he got satisfaction out of just saying it. As he opened his mouth to spill the secret, Ron came running in out of breath and red in the face. His hair was a little disheveled, but he seemed to be mostly in order and glared at Draco with more hate then anyone had ever seen in the red head's eyes. "Whatever he says, 'Mione, don't believe his lying arse."

"What would I be saying that you would be so insistent I was lying about?" Malfoy smirked, "after all, how do you even know I was going to tell your /lovely/ girlfriend anything?" Oh bloody hell this was great! Even better now that Weasel had opened his big mouth.

**Hermione looked at him strangely not really getting his entire point at that time. However that was when Ron came in, her eyes went up and down his body taking in his appearance, plainly speaking he looked like he had just shagged someone. His clothes were on properly, but he was flustered and his hair, though usually messy, was not normally messy to that extent. She narrowed her eyes slightly at him after he spoke. **

**"Yes, Ronald, what is the amazing bouncing ferret lying about?" she asked her boyfriend, who gulped. **

**"Nothing, Nothing," he said weakly, "I…I just lost points for Gryffindor that's all...I didn't want you to find out." He hung his head in shame and Hermione's gaze became less intent. **

**"Okay," she said, but still felt slightly unsure as she looked briefly to Draco before sitting down, Ron sitting next to her.**

"You lying git," Draco snickered, "you shagged Lavender. I saw you. It was the most revolting thing I'd ever witnessed..." He made retching sounds and a few of the Slytherins even laughed quietly in the corner. Snape was starting his lesson and looked sharply at Ron when he swore at Draco.

"Five points from Gryffindor for inappropriate language in my classroom," Snape hissed, writing their assignment for the day on the board. Draco seemed even happier now and Lavender crept through the door quietly as the rest of the class waited to see if she'd be caught. Her makeup was mussed as well as her hair and she dropped down in an empty seat with a quiet sigh.

**Hermione wasn't stupid. Her eyes instantly went to Lavender when the girl entered the room. She slowly took in the girl's appearance, just as she had done Ron. She looked back to Ron who wasn't making any eye contact with her but occasionally would look to the back of the room to Lavender. Hermione's anger was burning. Anyone that knew her well…which was basically everyone one in Hogwarts, knew that she had a temper as bad as Ron's sometimes, she just wasn't as stupid.**

"Won Won and Lavender sitting in a tree," Draco said softly in a sing-song voice, "F-U-C-K-I-N-G..." He snickered and carefully wrote out the ingredients and instructions for their potion they would be making that day, seeming completely innocent. Ron was too busy checking on Lavender in a completely obvious way to be bothered to write everything down and left Hermione, as usual, to do all the work. Harry appeared to be off in his own little world, already preparing his cauldron for the first step. Normally he would have been doing damage control by now.

**"Ronald," Hermione said sweetly stamping on his foot to get his attention away from Lavender. **

**"AH bloody hell!" He said loudly turning and looking at Hermione. "What the bloody hell was that for?" he demanded. **

**"Mr. Weasley, would you stop interrupting my class? Twenty points from Gryffindor!" Snape said before going back to the board.**

**"I hope you're paying attention to the class Ronald. This potion isn't done in pairs and I'm certainly not helping you today," she said, clearly angry, "it'll be interesting to see how you manage when I don't do anything for you." **

"Ms. Granger!" Snape hissed, "Another twenty points from Gryffindor."

Draco laughed just loud enough for her to hear and lit the fire under his cauldron, reading over the instructions with the first real smile he'd had since the beginning of the school year.

Ron muttered something about high strung women and started on his own potion, looking in dismay at the board where Snape had just finished 'magicing' away the first part of the instructions to add special notes and details. Now he didn't know what to do. "Uh...Hermione?" he smiled weakly, "can I borrow your instructions?"

"That's all Granger's good for right?" Draco winked over at them, "a sloppy shag here and there and your homework always done for you?" He had a feeling he was pushing it, but it was fun to get under Granger's skin for once instead of the other way around.

**Hermione's fists clenched as she took a deep breath ignoring Draco's words. Well, she tried anyway, she couldn't deny that they were hitting a sore spot within her. "No Ronald," she said between clenched teeth, "you may not borrow my instructions, it's not my fault you were to busy drooling over 'lav-lav' to pay attention to class." **

**"MS. GRANGER, WILL YOU BE SILENT!" Snape said now standing in front of the desk. "Detention, be here after dinner."**

Ronald cowered low under Snape's angry glare that passed over them and moved to peer into Harry's cauldron since he was only one actually working. "Terrible and all wrong, as usual Potter," Snape frowned, scourgifying the cauldron before stalking back up to the front again.

"But...what did I do?" Harry asked Hermione in a confused tone, looking at his clean cauldron in dismay. It had been perfect and Snape knew that.

Draco couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic look on all of their faces and doubled over as he dropped back down into his chair, suddenly losing balance and crashing back into Pansy's desk, sending her cauldron up into the air where it came down with a loud crash and dumped potion all down her and her designer uniform. "DRACO!" she cried shrilly, looking as though she might cry, "you prat!"

"And it appears that you will be joining Ms. Granger in detention tonight," Snape said coolly without turning around, "and help Ms. Parkinson clean up the mess Draco. Now." Grumbling to himself, Draco untangled himself from the chair and sighed as he cleaned off the desk and one of the few friends he had left. Unless now she hated him too.

**Hermione, despite everything that was happening, let out a chuckle as the potion was spilt all over Pansy Parkinson and the fact that Draco also got a detention - wait…**

**Draco got a detention. That meant would be joining her in detention. She let out a groan at the horrid thing that was called her life with Draco Malfoy in it. She glared at Ron as he tried to ask for the instructions again before picking up her things and moving to the back of the classroom and sitting at an empty desk between Seamus and Neville. She did her work there, helping the two boys instead to annoy Ron.**

"But sir," Draco went to object and Snape gave him a withering look.

"Should I also take away points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy?" he said warningly and Draco shut his mouth. Great. Just great. Detention with the stuck up mudblood. He turned a little in his righted chair and sent Hermione a glare. This was all her and Weasel's fault. Even after what he saw in the classroom, Draco was still surprised to see Lavender move up beside Ron in the empty space to pat his shoulder comfortingly. Were they complete and utter fools? Maybe Lavender just decided that he should be all hers or something. Whatever. Who the bloody hell cared.

**Hermione was boiling with rage, her eyes holding a glint to them as she glared at Ron and Lavender. She didn't want to believe Malfoy, but she couldn't ignore what was in front of her very own eyes. She packed her things in her bag and swung it around her shoulder ignoring Malfoy's glares completely. He didn't even matter at this time. Seriously, if you had to think of the biggest prat in the school or your cheating boyfriend which one would you be more concerned about?**

**The cheating boyfriend of course. **

**Picking up her cauldron that held her half finished potion in it she walked over to Lavender and Ron and bent down whispering something to them under her breath so only they could hear. Nothing important really, just that Ron was dumped and Lavender could have the cheating bastard. She then told Ron that maybe when the came time that he cheated on Lavender to not make it so bloody obvious.**

**She dumped her potion over them making them both go a lovely shade of purple and puff up slightly before walking out the classroom without another word.**

Draco began to clap very slowly and as he picked up speed the rest of the class laughed and joined in. Lavender was squealing angrily, but Snape had heard Hermione's whispers easily and wasn't very impressed with either Lavender or Ron at the moment. Hermione may be a pretentious know-it-all at times, but she deserved to be treated better then Ronald ever did.

"Settle down," he said sharply, acting as though he didn't notice that two of his students were swollen and purple, "you still only have until the end of class to finish your potions so I suggest you get working."

Draco had brightened up again and did surprisingly well on his potion, just a nine of ten on the assignment. The strange thing was that he caught a glance at the marking sheet and Snape had given Hermione ten...

**Hermione stormed through Hogwarts, willing herself not to cry. She should have never gotten into a relationship with the guy anyway. It was always going to complicate things since he was her best friend, paying extra attention to the /was/ her best friend. There was no way she was ever talking to him again, or Lavender! Well she had to admit it didn't come as a complete surprise. She sighed though, wishing she hadn't found out from Malfoy. He'd probably be smug about it all year. **

**"Hermione!" Harry said chasing after her now that class was over. "Are you okay? What happened? Why did you tip the potion over Ron and Lavender?" he asked, completely unaware. **

**"Isn't it obvious?" she asked him through clenched teeth.**

Harry shifted uncomfortably under her angry gaze, slowly shaking his head. Since Dumbledore's death he had been quiet and subdued, still not believing that Snape and Malfoy had gotten off scott-free when he had witnessed the murder. Apparently something in Dumbledore's will excused the bastards from any blame. It just made no sense.

Now, as a result, he had neglected his friends and withdrawn into himself and he had no idea what was going on with Hermione and Ron. He had realized they were dating, but now she was angry with him. What had the big oaf done now? "I'm sorry Hermione. I don't know," he admitted.

**Hermione looked at him, her eyes now filled with tears as they slowly started down her cheeks. "He cheated on me Harry," she said, her voice sounding broken as if she had no idea what to do. "He cheated on me with Lavender of all people!" she exclaimed before biting down on her bottom lip softly as she tried to hold in the tears. She hugged Harry tightly, burying her face into his shoulder. **

**"I don't know what to do," she admitted softly.**

Harry gasped in surprise as his best friend's words and couldn't believe that Ron would do something like that to Hermione. Stroking her back very gently, he held her as if his life depended on it. Why was everything in their lives going to hell? First Dumbledore...and now everything else was crumbling down around them as well.

"I'll talk to him," Harry offered quietly, still holding her, "maybe it's not what you think. I mean, you didn't /see/ him do anything like that did you? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding..." He desperately hoped it was. The last thing he needed right now was his best friends hating each other.

**Hermione shook her head gently. "I'm pretty sure that he did Harry," she said softly, "I mean…" What could she say? Draco Malfoy told me? No...he only made her believe it a little more. She would have realized something was up even if Malfoy didn't say anything. However in a way she was slightly grateful to Malfoy for telling her even though he only did it to see her suffer. **

**"I mean, " she tried again, "the way that they are acting around each other…"**

"Why does he always have to go and botch things up?" Harry growled in annoyance, feeling a real urge to strangle Ron at the moment. He was lucky to have a person like Hermione attracted to him at all and he was so greedy he needed two girls at once? What did women see in that prat?

"I don't know why Ron is doing this, but I'll have a talk with him," he promised, smoothing her untamed curls back from her face, "don't worry about it. Everything will work out in the end. I promise." After all Ron's whining and pouting about liking Hermione, he was going to get an earful about not even staying with her. Then again, Hermione could just be over reacting. They were all pretty stressed out. He would just have to speak with Ron.

**Hermione's head come up as she saw Ron come towards them, now less purple and swollen with Lavender hanging off his arm. "I don't want to work things out with that prat, he went too far this time," Hermione said in a hurt tone before letting go of Harry and going in a different direction, towards the library once again. It was her haven. She loved everything about the library, the silence, the many books, and even the smell. **

**As she walked in she took a big calming breath and sat down on one of the seats, pulling out her book. She could get lost into it for a little while and forget the outside world.**

"What are you doing?!" Harry demanded angrily, grabbing Ron's arm and wrenching him away from his blonde barbie, "is what she's been telling me true? You cheated on Hermione with /her/?" He hissed the last part, gesturing towards Lavender with a disgusted expression.

"So what if I did," Ron sniffed defiantly, looking down his nose at Harry, "at least Lavender doesn't shriek at me every second of the day and she actually lets me...uh..." His cheeks went red then and he looked down at his feet shyly.

"YOU CHEATED ON HERMIONE TO GET A BLOODY SHAG?!" Harry roared, shoving Ron backwards. Hard.

Ron stumbled and caught his footing with an angry glare towards his best mate. "She had her chance!" he protested, "it's been a long time Harry. I was tired of waiting for her to take her nose out of the books and actually notice I'm good for more then just holding my hand!"

"Maybe she was waiting for you to notice that she's worth more then sex and free homework," Harry breathed, his fists clenched so tightly they were white. Was Ron really that stupid? "I hope you enjoy your new fickle priss," he spat, "because we won't be waiting for you to help pick up the pieces when she gets bored of you."

**Hermione sighed and as much as she tried she just couldn't get lost in the book. She leant her head back on the couch silently as she closed her eyes for a few moments, trying to clear out her mind. However whenever she tried to get her mind away from Ron and Lavender it seemed that it only made her think about them more. She clenched her teeth together as she let out a small desperate sound, wanting ever so much at this moment just to go home and hug her parents. She looked back down at her book, still zoned out. **

**She knew why he had cheated on her. It was because she wouldn't sleep with him; was it really her fault though? She was glad that she hadn't now. Would he still have cheated if she had slept with him? She couldn't help but think that he would. She was scared, was that her fault? Ron wasn't the type to make you feel comfortable for your first time, he had many times tried to get her to do something but it was more…in your face.**

The cushion next to her sank down slightly under the weight of another person, a familiar pair of steely blue eyes watching her. Draco still had a wide smirk spread across his face and his eyes sparkled with laughter. He was in a fantastic mood. It wasn't every day that Weasel betrayed his girlfriend for some tramp that everyone knew slept around. Except for maybe Weasel, but he was dense.

"Good book?" he asked cheerfully, leaning back on the couch with his hands behind his head. Draco tilted his head to get a better look at Hermione reading her book. Maybe she'd even cry. Ha! That would be hilarious. Poor mudblood with no one to love her.

**Hermione didn't even look at him, she just sighed and turned the page, starting to read once again. However while she was doing a wonderful job ignoring him, she did know that he was there and her temper was getting worse just from knowing that. She closed her book as calmly as she could before she picked up her bag and put it inside. She yawned slightly, making a big show of thinking she was by herself. "Oh, you're there Malfoy, sorry…didn't notice you," she said, though her eyes betrayed her, red and puffy, she looked like she was going to cry again.**

**So she then simply walked out the library leaving Malfoy to himself.**

"Hey Granger!" he called after her, annoyed at not getting any reaction. She was supposed to scream at him or at burst into tears. Honestly! How inconsiderate. He jogged after the curly haired Gryffindor and smirked as he fell into step next to her. "What's the rush?" he whispered, "trying to catch Ron in the act?"

Biting back a laugh, he raised his eyebrows at her and grinned. Why was it so much fun to torment her?

**"No, I have a sensitive nose, you use too much cologne," she replied, looking at him blankly. "Go away Malfoy, I'm not in the mood," she sighed, really not having enough spirit to fight him at the moment. Things were bad enough without adding that on top of it. It seemed that Hermione had lost some of her fighting spirit today, honestly who could blame her? With everything that had been happening lately...and Ron. **

**She should be allowed to get in a mood like this occasionally.**

"That's it?" he scoffed, "no yelling? No clever comeback? Not even a tear? You're such a bore today." Rolling his eyes, he continued to walk next to her as if by some freak accident she would become annoyed and give him the fight he wanted. Getting on her nerves was his specialty, but right now he seemed unable to effect her.

**"Like I told you Malfoy," she said with a shrug, "I'm not in the mood today and if I leak a tear it isn't going to be because of you." She gave another small yawn and glanced at him. "If you're going to follow me you may want to do it from a few steps back, people might get the wrong idea if they see you walking beside me…Then again they could come to the same conclusion with you following behind me too," she said, before shrugging once again.**

Glaring at her in annoyance, Draco spat 'mudblood' at her before he stalked off back towards the Slytherin common rooms. Well that had certainly spoiled everything. She must be really depressed to not even react at all to his cruel teasing. That was one of the only things he could count on now to be the same...Hermione hating him. Draco sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets, going to grab his things for transfiguration. One more long boring class and then dinner.

**When dinnertime came it was certainly interesting to say the least. Hermione sat there grinding her teeth in annoyance as Lavender quite loudly flirted with Ron who took it in his stride and stroked her sides and kissed her anywhere he could get away with. Hermione glared down at her plate. She was not going to give into them even though they where sitting across from her and she could see and hear everything. She wouldn't give in. She was Hermione Granger, one of the most stubborn girls in her year. **

**She wouldn't give in… Even as she desperately fought the urge to cry, a tear slid down her cheek.**

Harry was busy glaring at Ron for the entire dinner and once in a while he would slide a hand over and pat Hermione's leg comfortingly. He was starting to get to the point where he wanted to scream at Ron for being such an idiot. It was one thing to break Hermione's heart and cheat on her, but to sit there and flirt openly with Lavender... Was he really that much of an arse?

Draco and Blaise were snickering together over at the Slytherin table as they watched Ron all over his new woman. Blaise seemed to think that Draco redeemed himself a little with his part in making Hermione miserable and they were speaking a little now. Still feeling kind of awkward though, the blonde finished his meal quickly and slipped away to the library to work on his homework. Thanks to his lack of friends and followers, he was doing quite well in his classes.

**Pity, that Draco had left though for he was about to miss something that would be buzzing around the entire school for at least the next week. **

**The fact that Hermione Granger, being so mad at Ronald Weasley, had turned her other best friend towards her, the famous boy who lived, and kissed him passionately. Harry, of course in shock, returned the kiss without a second thought about what was happening. Ron was even more shocked, his jaw hanging open and his eyes wide as he stood, slamming his hands onto the table. His sudden movement caused Lavender to fall of him and hit her arse on the ground as she fell of the seat.**

**Everyone in the entire hall gasped in surprise as well. Hermione then calmly pulled away from Harry and left the great hall.**

**Jealousy could change anyone and pay back was fun. **

Harry swallowed hard after the amazing kiss and looked up to see an angry Ron towering over him on the other side of the table. "You arse!" Ron growled, "you've been shagging Hermione behind my back?!"

"Actually," Harry said very coldly, regaining his composure, "after /you/ cheated on /her/, I was trying to console her and we ended up realizing how much we meant to each other. I know an amazing woman when I see one 'Ronald'." He stuffed one last piece of roast beef into his mouth and headed out of the hall with his head held high. Then his heart skipped a beat.

Oh no. He had just told Ron that he was /with/ Hermione. He had to find her and warn her since more people then Ron had probably heard.

**Unfortunately, Harry did not find Hermione because he couldn't reach her if he tried. The moment that she left the hall she ran to the girls' dormitories and went to bed, pulling the curtains around her bed she snuggled into her blankets and cried herself to sleep. Why had she done that? She couldn't believe she had done that but she was just so jealous and angry. She needed to make Ron feel some of the pain that she was in. She just hoped that Harry didn't take it the wrong way. **

**Miserable and exhausted, she stayed in there until the next morning.**

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Well that was chapter one of our roleplay/fanfic so we hope you all enjoyed it! Please send us a review so we know what you thought and chapter two will be coming shortly! The nice thing about this being by two people is that before we even posted this chapter we already had a few more done in advance! And we'll always be ahead of the game. Thanks for reading! Until next time!


	2. The Note

A/N: Nat and Jess here, just a reminder to tell you that this is in fact a role play that we've decided to post as a story Jess is bold while Nat is normal.

We hope you enjoy the chapter!

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The next morning Harry was pacing at the bottom of the stairs below the girl dormitories, trying to think of how he was going to break it Hermione that he'd implied to Ron that they were dating. Or that he'd really enjoyed the kiss... He was still in his quidditch uniform from early morning practice, luckily there was still that to keep him sane, and Ginny eyed him with a sly smile as she headed upstairs to change out her own uniform. She had skipped dinner the night before to finish homework and was also unaware of the kiss he'd shared with Hermione.

Where was she?! Hermione didn't normally sleep this late...

**Hermione came down a few moments later and looked up at Harry. "I'm really sorry!" she said desperately. "The kiss didn't mean anything...I…I just wanted to hurt Ron like he hurt me," she said softly before looking down at her feet, her eyes then widened. She knew that she had missed breakfast and that they would be late for potions, but…detention! She had forgotten all about it! Damn Ron, he was ruining her life. Without letting Harry say a word she ran out of the Gryffindor tower heading for the potions room.**

**Snape was going to kill her.**

Harry opened his mouth to speak and then closed it again as Hermione had already dashed out of the room without giving him a chance to say anything. Dammit! Ron was probably going to confront her and she wouldn't have any idea what he was talking about.

It didn't mean anything... He trudged up his own dorm steps and quickly threw on his school robes. What if it had meant something to him?

Draco was about to enter the potion's classroom when he saw Hermione running like mad towards him. "Somebody's in trouble," he chuckled, giving her his signature smirk for slipping inside. This wasn't something he'd miss for the world.

**"Oh shove off Malfoy," she said pushing past him. She could make up something right? Of all people it had to be Severus Snape's detention! No, she couldn't lie to Snape, he'd know. Really what could she lie about? There was an order meeting? That would be a laugh**

**"Professor, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot - " She was however cut off as Snape raised his hand. **

**"Perfectly okay Ms. Granger, I'll just add on an extra detentions please take your seat." **

**Hermione blinked in surprise. "Sorry sir but what?" she asked clearly confused. **

**"Did you not hear me Ms. Granger?" Snape said glaring at her, "take your seat!" **

**"R-r...right," she stuttered before nodding and quickly moving to her seat silently wondering what on earth was happening…maybe it was an imposter!**

Draco gaped at his teacher and godfather, trying to figure out how the stupid witch had gotten off so easily. It wasn't fair! He'd already started his punishment and stayed until long after curfew. For Hermione not to get yelled at... He grumbled under his breath and took his seat, glaring over at the frizz-ball angrily. If /Snape/ started favoring her then he had something to worry about.

Harry came running through the door, just making it on time and dropped down in the seat next to Hermione as he tried to catch his breath. "R-Ron...thinks...us...we...ugh," Harry panted, setting down his textbooks and taking a deep breath. "Hermione, Ron thinks we're a couple," he got out quickly before Snape turned his stony glare towards the two of them. Class was now 'in session' and they weren't supposed to be talking.

**"WHAT?!" Hermione hissed under her breath at him. "All we did is kiss, how does he think that?" she asked him. This was more shocking then Snape letting her get off free. **

**"Ms. Granger, Mr. Potter!" Snape growled suddenly in front of them, "keep your personal life for your personal life, not class time. I assume you two are pairing for today's class? Hop to it then." **

**"But Professor…you haven't given anything to make," Hermione said weakly.**

**"If you had been listening Ms. Granger, you would have noticed that I had said that today you would go in pairs and also chose a potion of your own liking."**

Harry flushed in embarrassment and Draco made gagging noise at the table across from them as Blaise moved to his side to partner with him. Just great, even more revolting then Weasel and Granger was Potter himself and the know-it-all.

Harry lowered his voice to barely a whisper as he opened his textbook. "I-I told him that when I was trying to console you we ended up realizing how much we meant to each other," he explained slowly, knowing she would be furious. Clearly she wasn't interested in him like that. It wasn't fair! What did Ron have that he didn't?

**"Harry," she hissed under her breath. "Ginny is going to **_**MURDER**_** me when she finds out about this, it was bad enough that I just kissed you," she said. Well, now he knew what Ron had that he didn't, Ginny's interest. Making Harry completely off limits for Hermione. Sure Harry had said he wasn't interested, but Ginny still liked him and she couldn't do that to a friend. No she just couldn't. She didn't sleep around like Lavender.**

**As if that thought summoned her, Lavender then walked into the room her arm around Ron's waist.**

**"A little bit late aren't we?" Snape sneered looking at them.**

Ron shrugged and headed to an empty seat with Lavender, "I suppose so, Professor." His gaze was on Harry though and he glared at how close he was to Hermione. He had no right to be jealous after what he had done, but he was.

"Well then, a week's detention for both of you should take care of that," Snape said smoothly, clearly even more angry at Ron's reply. What was going on with these bloody kids?

"Who ever said that you could all pick who I'm supposed to be with?" Harry hissed angrily, "I never really like Ginny, okay? I dated her because it was convenient when you and Ron were together. It's not fair that I can't choose who I want to be with! Enough of my life is controlled without me being trapped with her forever. Do you have any idea how long I waited for /you/ to show any interest in me?" He violently chopped the ingredient he was preparing for their potion and glared at the table.

**"I'm not choosing who you be with Harry," she hissed in reply, "Ginny is my friend, she has feelings for you. It's basically a unwritten code between two girls who are friends to not go after the person your friend likes or is otherwise dating," she said before sighing. "She's going to murder me," she said again**

**"And…wait what?" she asked clearly stunned, "how long you waited for me to show interest?" However this was said loud enough for the whole class to hear, as everyone went silent and looked at them.**

Harry didn't reply, but his cheeks did go a lot redder. Snape sighed up near the front and seemed to decide he didn't want to involve himself in the current discussion. He'd had quite enough of the drama this week.

It wasn't fair that just because one girl liked Harry that he couldn't have the one he wanted! He didn't ask Ginny to like him. Quite the contrary, he had asked her /not/ to. Bloody hell. The only sound in the room was Harry's loud chopping as he minced roots and a lizard's tail together. Even Draco was keeping his mouth shut for once.

**Hermione blushed realizing that everyone had heard her as she went silent and helped Harry prepare the ingredients for the potion that they had decided to make. Great...just bloody great. Harry Potter liked her, she had just loudly blurted it out and now the rest of the school would know before lunch. She rubbed her temples briefly before getting out her quill and ink as well as a spare parchment deciding to change the subject she scribbled something down on the parchment and placed it in front of Harry so he could read it. Snape couldn't even say anything about it because they were partners. All that she had written to him was this... 'When's the next DA meeting? And I think I may have found a little more information on the horcruxes.' Yes, Dumbledore's army had been rebuilt, more importantly though they still looked for clues on the horcruxes.**

Harry glanced at the words and added the powdered spiders' legs to the mixture bubbling in their cauldron. What was he supposed to do? Just act like he didn't care and let everything go back to normal? Snatching up the quill he scribbled back with hurt feelings, 'so are we going to pretend that I don't have a crush on you and that the kiss you gave me wasn't amazing?' He dropped the quill back down again and continued to do his work. He wasn't talking about DA meetings or anything else until she talked this out with him. It was finally out in the open and she was trying to dismiss it.

**Hermione glared at the words. 'Are you serious?' she wrote quickly, 'my other best friend just cheated on me with Lavender yesterday. Can't you wait a little while before forcing me to talk and facing your feelings towards me when I have no idea what to feel?' She then shoved the paper back towards Harry and stood up quickly, going to the supplies and gathering something that Harry hadn't, before coming back and quickly cutting it and adding it to the cauldron.**

'Whatever. Just forget it.' He scrawled, his messy words clearly showing he was upset about it. 'Next meeting will be sometime in the coming week. You can plan it for all I care.'

He threw the next ingredient into the cauldron forcefully and read the textbook again. They were done after Hermione's ingredient and it just needed to simmer for fifteen minutes with a counter clockwise stir of a wand every five minutes.

Draco was watching the exchange closely, taking secret satisfaction that Hermione didn't seem to return Harry's affection. Him and Blaise were nearly finished their own assignment and Draco was neatly writing out their quick report.

"Quit ogling the mudblood," Blaise muttered, stirring their potion carefully.

"I was just watching Potter fail," he smirked in reply, "nothing wrong with that."

**Hermione sighed slightly before writing something quickly down to end it. 'Look Harry, I like you more then a friend, perhaps. I'm just not sure what to think at the moment. I'm still upset that Ron cheated on me, he was my best friend before my boyfriend. I just can't believe he did it.'**

**She frowned and turned slightly, feeling eyes on her. She stared straight back into Draco's amused eyes. What the hell did he want now? She glared at him briefly before putting her attention onto the written part of the assignment that would be finished shortly.**

Harry didn't even look at the parchment she had written the reply on, tired of the subject. He knew he was coming on too strong and she was right. Ron had just hurt her badly and it wasn't a time to be thinking about new relationships already. He would just shove the feelings to the back of his mind and ignore them. Friends first. Carefully stirring their potion, Harry didn't look at Hermione or say, write, or think another word towards her for the rest of class. He was too lost in his own world.

Draco chuckled to himself and finished up their written part, handing it to Blaise to look over. Well, he hadn't been ogling, but maybe he had been looking. So what? It was a free world.

**Hermione sighed slightly and looked away taking the piece of paper back she scrunched it up and shoved it into her bag...though it didn't exactly go into her bag but slipped out and rolled slightly stopping just beside Draco's foot. "Class is over," came Snape's voice, "bottle your potions, unfinished or not, and bring them along with your parchments and leave them on my desk." Hermione grabbed a bottle and spooned some into the bottle she put the lid on it and rolled up the parchment before putting her bag over her shoulder and taking it to his desk placing it in front of him. "Remember to be here after dinner Ms. Granger," he reminded her icily. Hermione nodded and left the classroom.**

Draco bottled his own potion and Blaise took it up along with their written part as he frowned and picked up the crumbled piece of paper Granger had dropped. Passing notes was she? Smoothing it out in his hands once she was gone, he read the words with wider and wider eyes. They knew about the horcruxes /and/ possibly more about them?! Shit, he had to tell Voldemort! His father may be in jail, but maybe this information would please their dark lord enough to get help getting him out.

Looking around the room to make sure no one had seen him with the parchment, he slipped it into his pocket and smiled deviously. This would come in very handy and score him some serious brownie points. There was almost a skip in his step as he headed out of classroom and moved to his next class. Today was getting better after all.

**Hermione was tearing through her bag through lunch. "Harry, Harry, Harry" she repeated over and over again as she continued to search, a little on the nervous and worried side. Okay maybe a lot. She looked at the confused Harry with wide eyes. "That note, I put it in my bag but it's not here anymore!" she exclaimed to him, looking about ready to bolt down to the potions room to search the room bottom to top. **

**"Remember...personal stuff not only about us but Voldemort as well, he doesn't know that you know about the horcruxes, oh how could I be so stupid to write that down!" she exclaimed breathing heavily. **

**Blaise raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Hermione on the Gryffindor table, "Mudblood looks like the worlds coming to an end," he smirked to Draco.**

"You lost that note?" Harry gasped quietly, remembering that it mentioned their meetings too. Oh shit. That was bad. If it fell into the wrong hands then Voldemort would have a dangerous advantage. "Where did you see it last?" He had been trying to act like everything was fine and speak as little as possible to Hermione, but now he joined her in the panicked search. "You're sure you put it in your bag?"

"She probably lost her autographed picture of Potter or something," Draco snorted without much interest. His lunch was much more interesting then some mudblood who'd probably lost her homework...or... He grinned slyly and patted his pocket. Maybe she'd realized what he got his hands on was gone.

**"What are you talking about?" Ron asked them from across the table, Lavender getting a little put out because he was trying to talk to them...which took his attention off her. He was curious and worried though, even though they were fighting at the moment, they looked extremely panicked. **

**Hermione completely ignored Ron though as she continued searching before silently talking to Harry again. "I don't know!" she said panicked, "I scrunched it up and put it in my bag -" She gasped her eyes widening. "My bag was closed...which means that it wouldn't have gone in…"**

"So it would have fallen onto the floor in...," he paled considerably, "potions...oh no. Snape..." Even if the man had been proven innocent of Dumbledore's murder and such, he still didn't really trust him with this kind of information. "Tonight, at your detention...ask him if he found any papers near your desk area after our period. See how he reacts." He bit his lip and touched Hermione's cheek gently in an attempt to calm her. "I'm sure it will be all right Hermione, just...just sit and eat some lunch..." He wanted to run and search the classroom right this instant, but he knew it would cause too many questions.

Ah, so they /were/ looking for that. He could tell by their faces and the way Harry was beginning to freak out as well. Maybe he'd stash it in his room and casually mention it in detention that evening. If she even showed up that is. She was probably too busy shagging Potter to remember. Hopefully Snape would actually be angry with her this time.

**Hermione gave a small nod of her head taking in a big breath and then letting it out again. "I can't believe I let that happen," she said. She was calming down but was still pretty worried. If a Gryffindor had gotten their hands on it, it was pretty much okay since most of them where now in the DA and loyal to Harry. Slytherin however... Lord, even Draco Malfoy! He had been sitting basically right beside her what if he had gotten his hands on it? Or Blaise Zabini… **

**She let her head fall to the table in a groan. "This stinks."**

"Eat," Harry insisted, lifting a forkful of food towards her mouth as Ron glared at them both. He didn't appreciate being ignored or having to watch Harry feed his ex like they were some kind of lovey couple. Ick.

Harry's eyes shifted to Ron very briefly before moving back to Hermione again. He wasn't sure what to say to his best mate since he had hurt Hermione so badly. He didn't like to take sides...but Ron was wrong. Plain and simple. His hand found Hermione's and squeezed gently, hoping that she thought of it as a simple friendship gesture.

Draco seemed so happy by the end of lunch that Blaise asked if he was feeling al right. "Never better my friend," Draco chuckled, "the day is just going well..." He smirked when Blaise shot him a confused look and hopped up from the table. A couple more classes and then...detention.

**Thankfully she did. She was still pretty innocent in matters of the heart so no one could blame her for not thinking anything else of the hug since Harry had been a friend a lot longer then a possible love interest. She shook her head moving away from the food. "I'm just not hungry Harry, you never eat before a Quidditch game." she pointed out to him smugly knowing that she had cornered him. **

**The rest of the classes went by pretty slow because for once she was actually forward to going to detention, mainly however so she could find out about that note.**

Draco skipped dinner to head to the potion's classroom early, not feeling like keeping up appearances at the moment. Blaise was the same immature kid most of the time and he supposed he had just grown up over the summer. Being involved in Voldemort's organization and forced to murder your headmaster did that to a person. In fact, most of the people in his year were obnoxious and immature. He could hardly wait to get out of this place.

Snape wasn't in the classroom, but he'd left the door open for Draco and he grabbed up a box from the corner. Snape had told him that Hermione and him would be serving detention for as long as it took to organize his old potion recipes alphabetically and then rewrite then into a big, blank book for him. It was a huge task, but he was finished arguing after the talking to he'd gotten the night before. Only now Granger would be joining him. If it weren't for the gloating power he had at the moment, it would have been a miserable evening.

**Hermione also skipped dinner. Not for any reason really just for the fact that she was still a little unsure about this no punishment thing from Snape so she wanted to get a head start on what ever he had planned out for her...and Malfoy, oh wasn't life great. **

**She sighed as she pushed open the door that Draco had closed after entering and let out yet another sigh seeing that he was also early. Since when did he try for brownie points? Never, that's when. Something was up. She eyed him suspiciously as she entered the room closing the door behind her.**

"You're early," Draco noted, glancing up from his work with a mildly interested expression. He couldn't be bothered wasting time on the mudblood though when there was so much horrible work to be done. Honestly, did Snape really expect them to do all of this? There were seven boxes filled with these damn pieces of parchment and he was only on number one. This could take months...

Using his wand to lift another recipe into the air in the 'A' pile, he frowned and ignored the Gryffindor girl as he pulled out another small stack to sort. It was weird that she had come early instead of spending extra time with her 'hero' boyfriend instead.

"Won't Potter miss you and your frizzy kisses if you're here?" he smirked, raising an eyebrow at her from his seat. He seemed rather sure of himself that they were an item and smirked as he tried to think of the best way to bring up the paper she had dropped. The problem was that Snape was just entering the room, killing his short-lived hope of torturing Hermione with the information.

**"Professor!" she exclaimed seeing him and going towards him instantly. Harry may not trust the potions master, but she for some reason did. "I was wondering if I could talk to you in private for a few moments it's important," she said looking up at him. **

**Snape glared at her briefly before giving a slight nod. "Draco, Ms. Granger will join you in the detention in just a moment," he said to the Slytherin before leading Hermione into his joining office.**

**"Now Ms. Granger, what is it that's troubling you so?" he sighed as if he would rather not be listening to her problems. **

**"Ah well you see." she said with a slight blush now feeling embarrassed for such a stupid mistake as she explained the situation to him. **

**"Have you gone bloody stupid?! You of all people Ms. Granger!" Snape said angrily slamming his hand onto the desk as he tried to control himself.**

Draco frowned as he tried to listen in to their conversation. He caught small snippets of the things Hermione was explaining to Snape and wondered why on earth she trusted their potion's professor, a man who served Voldemort himself. Wait just a second! If this information was do important to her then she'd do anything to keep it quiet...wouldn't she? Heh heh, this could still work out in his favor.

Smugly adding a few more recipes to their appropriate groups, Draco stop straining his ears and waited for Hermione and Snape to return from his office. As soon as Snape was gone he was going to see what kind of bargain he could strike.

**It was only a few moments later when Snape came out with Hermione. He explained to her what was happening and what he expected them to do and she realized that these detentions would probably last a month. Lazy teachers - they purposely give detentions so they don't have to do the boring stuff. **

**She nodded slightly and began to her utter disgust help Draco. Eventually when Snape was sure that they both knew what they where doing he left them alone and told them he would be back in three and a half hours.**

"You have to put the recipe in the pile with the letter it starts with," Draco explained, gesturing to the piles around him, "and if you mess it up I'll bloody make /you/ start over and fix it." He sent a few more up into the air and glanced at Hermione with a smirk. Ah, this would be fun. He was still deciding what he would demand her to do to keep his quiet. It would have to be something evil and cruel. Maybe...make her tell her friends that she was in love with him? Ha! And she'd have to be nice to him and carry his books to class? Grovel a bunch? There were so many things he could have her do...

"So...," he trailed off with a smug expression, "lose anything lately, Granger?"

**"If I mess anything up it's your fault for not explaining it properly," she sighed as she started to help him sort through the potions recipes. She was quite happy staying silent and hopefully not talking to him at all for the rest of the night. However, Draco wouldn't have that would he? Her eyes narrowed at him at his last sentence. **

**"You have it don't you, you prat," she growled at him, looking about ready to pounce and tackle him until she retrieved it.**

"Not on me," he chuckled, "you think I'm that stupid? It's in a very safe and secret place where you can't get your paws on it, Granger." He tapped his wand against his lips thoughtfully. "Hmm, now let's see. What dark lord would love to get his hands on that information? I'm pretty sure I know one..."

He purposely hadn't brought it with him since he knew Hermione would beat the crap out of him if she thought she could get it back right here and now. No...she was going to have to work hard to keep him quiet. And he knew just the torture...

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Well we hope you enjoyed it! Please review! Next chapter will be coming soon!

If there's something you don't understand or along those lines just say so in the review we'll answer you the best we can!

Nat & Jess


	3. Blackmail

A/N: Nat and Jess here, just a reminder to tell you that this is in fact a role play that we've decided to post as a story **Jess is bold** while Nat is normal.

Thank you the people who actually reviewed instead of just reading, and made us feel so good about our writing that we keep roleplaying. Enjoy!**  
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Last Chapter: "Not on me," he chuckled, "you think I'm that stupid? It's in a very safe and secret place where you can't get your paws on it, Granger." He tapped his wand against his lips thoughtfully. "Hmm, now let's see. What dark lord would love to get his hands on that information? I'm pretty sure I know one..." 

He purposely hadn't brought it with him since he knew Hermione would beat the crap out of him if she thought she could get it back right here and now. No...she was going to have to work hard to keep him quiet. And he knew just the torture...

:-:

**"You could've fooled me," she muttered under her voice, clearly thinking he /was/ that stupid, before clenching her hands and taking a calming breath. She wasn't an idiot…obviously, she knew very well that he wanted something in return of staying quiet. She sighed slightly and rubbed her temples in annoyance. Malfoy was a thorn in her whole existence.**

**"You'll make a superb death eater Malfoy, you know that?" she remarked, "so what do you want in return for being silent and giving me the note back?"**

"Thank you, thank you," he bowed mockingly, winking at her before he got an even crueler smirk on his lips. Oh yes. He knew just the thing. "Well...mudblood, I was thinking about your disgusting new relationship with Potter just now...and I don't think it's meant to be." He leaned back in his chair and kept his eyes on her with a soft chuckle.

"You need a better man. Sexy, handsome, rich, and pretty much perfect..." He lowered his voice a little and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "In fact, I want you to tell Potter and Weasel that you can't be with either of them because you've fallen for someone much better." Running a hand through his hair, he shot her a handsome smile.

"Me."

**The moment the first few words where out his mouth she knew what he wanted, there was only one person who fit that description. Well maybe most of Slytherin could talk that way about themselves, but Draco by far was the most egotistical out of all of them. She took a breath as he finished his sentence. **

**"I think I'm going to be sick," she said weakly, her eyes wide and her face going more pale. She really did look like she would vomit at any time. **

**"You cannot be serious."**

"I'm being quite serious," he snickered, "and I suggest you change that little snarky attitude of yours my dear, unless you'd like me to just leave right now and go tell Voldemort your secrets..." He moved to stand and knew she would stop him. She didn't have a choice. It was either obey him or have their enemy know everything...and it would be all her fault.

**She narrowed her eyes at him, moving in between Draco and the door. "I can't trust you," she told him blankly. "Even if I did go along with your sick plan how can I trust that you wont just inform Voldemort of what's written on there anyway?" she asked him with a tense voice as she rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. She was going to be pretending that she was dating Malfoy…hang on. Why on earth did he want to pretend to date a mudblood?**

**"What's in it for you?"**

"It's all you can do," Draco smirked, "you can't be guaranteed of anything, but you know that if you /don't/ do it then I'll tell him for sure." Chuckling to himself, he tilted his head to the side as he looked at her.

"What's in it for me? Only the pleasure of seeing you grovel and scrape in front of all my friends who will think I'm doing it to get information from /you/." He winked again and loved the horrified expression on her face. "You aren't to speak to Ron and Harry about it, other then to say you can't help how you feel. And, you aren't allowed to be rude to me or insult me no matter what I say to you."

**Hermione sighed and pinched the tip of her nose as she looked at the ground, thinking through her options. If she accepted there had to be some way for her to get people to realize that it was all a joke. Hopefully people would know something was wrong just of the mention of Hermione, Draco and 'dating' all in the same sentence. **

**"Fine," she agreed bitterly, not seeing any other way around it.**

"You have to be /nice/ to me," he repeated, narrowing his eyes at her, "so none of this 'ferret' garbage or anything of the sort. And anything I ask of you, you do. Oh." He reached into his robes and pulled out a rather pretty gold chain with a heart locket on it. He tapped it with his wand a couple times and muttered something under his breath, holding it out towards her. "You have to wear this at all times, Granger. It will let me know if you'd told anyone about our 'situation' or if you say anything you shouldn't. Take it off and I'll know. I'll go straight to Voldemort."

He thought hard, trying to think if he'd missed anything. "Oh, and you'll be walking with me to classes," Draco smirked, "and spending any time you aren't in class or eating with me in the library. I don't want you letting anything 'slip' out."

**"Of course Draco," she said putting on a smile to show that she could be nice. "Thankfully, I'm a pretty good actress when I need to be. This will be a test though, I've never had to act out all my days pretending to be in love with the amazing bouncing ferret," she grinned happily, while on the inside she wanted the tear him to pieces. She would get him back for this one day. OH yes she would. **

**"You just randomly have gold chains in your pockets all the time?" she asked with a small frown as she took the locket and looked at it before sighing and putting it on.**

**"I'm not going to act completely out of character Malfoy," Hermione protested lightly, "I'm an independent person. I don't even spend very much time around Ron and Harry. If I start following you around everywhere Gryffindor will think you've used a love potion on me."**

"I happened to have that chain lying around from the summer," he shrugged grumpily, "it was going to be for Pansy but...well that's none of your business now, is it?" He was about to give her a scolding for the name-calling, but figured that was her /one/ chance. She had better smarten up. They both knew that neither person had any desire to be with the other and Draco was just doing it for his own sick enjoyment.

"And whatever, you can have some time to yourself then. But just spend whatever amount of time you would have with Weasel, with me," he muttered, already focusing back on the parchment pieces again. Grinning, he looked up at Hermione and reached over to tug on one of her wild curls. "And Granger, don't think that this means you're any less of a disgusting, ugly, mudblood, all right?"

**She took a breath to stop herself from murdering him on the spot. "So…what's with the locket anyway?" she asked him curiously, "why would you care if I took it off or not?" She was trying to move the subject away from the fact that she was now...dating him. The whole world shivered and trembled at that very thought. **

**"I would never think anything else," she said rolling her eyes, "and I'd suggest that you don't insult me /as much/ when Gryffindors are around. They know that I wouldn't stand for it, let alone date you. Unless you want people to think you're desperate enough to use a love potion.**

"The locket has a few...unique features that allows me to keep an eye on you," he chuckled, starting to work again, even if he was being a little slow, "so I know if you take it off to try and stop me from realizing that you've blabbed to your stupid friends about our agreement." He wasn't about to tell her that he could hear everything she said through it. That was for him to know and her to find out. It also let him know her location no matter where she snuck off to.

"I'll try my best no to seem too disgusted," he added, laughing at the idea of actually ever dating her. Gross. Like he'd lower himself that low. "You should consider it a privilege to be 'my girl'. You'll be making a lot of young ladies very sad that you've claimed me already. I'm a very desirable guy. Plus, you'll get the usual fancy presents. Enjoy the blackmail."

**Hermione fingered the locket for a few moments before putting it inside her shirt so basically no one could see it. "Presents never really interested me much, guys tend to think all females have the same tastes," she said before sighing and sitting down as well, starting to help him sort through everything. Not that she was doing it for the sake of helping him. Of course not. The sooner this was over the less time she had to spend with the prat. **

**She wanted to say something along of the lines of 'Well...I've never desired you ferret...' but then again she didn't really want to get him mad.**

Draco worked silently, seeming satisfied that she was properly instructed on what they had to do for Snape and what she had to do for him. Tomorrow was going to be great fun. For him at least. He snickered to himself and added another parchment to the 'N' pile.

"Ah, ah, ah," Draco shook his head, seeing what she had done, "that has to be out in the open where everyone can see it. You aren't ashamed of your own boyfriend are you?" He made a mock hurt expression come to his face before he laughed.

**She glared at him briefly before pulling the locket out and letting it rest on the top of her shirt wanting to amazingly hex him right here and now and force him to tell her where the note was. She really was going to get him back for this if it was the last thing that she did.**

**How was it that Ron cheats on her and everything else bad in her life just falls into place? Next Voldemort would be announcing a full-fledged attack on Hogwarts. She let out a dry silent laugh at that. **

**So, how was she to get out of this mess? Either…she helped Harry get the horcruxes, they quickly defeated Voldemort and she'd have nothing to worry about…since he is of course dead. OR...beat Draco at his own game...or let Pansy murder her when she found out. **

**"One thing I'm going to enjoy out of this is Parkinson's reaction," she finally said to Draco.**

"Ha, me too," he agreed with a slight smirk. She would be completely and utterly furious with Hermione for stealing him away and with Draco for ever agreeing to date the mudblood in the first place. Blaise would calm her down eventually and after telling his friend that it was all just to get information out of Hermione, Blaise would probably even encourage the relationship.

"I never thought I'd agree on anything with you," he noted, still working as he spoke. Wow. A civil conversation. He wondered if she was restraining herself from insulting him or possibly even murdering him just to keep her 'side's' secrets safe. She was loyal, he had to give her that. What was so great about being /good/ anyway?

**"I thought I'd test out this stupid 'getting along' thing while we're still in private so I don't completely stuff it up when people are watching," she said simply and calmly as she sorted through a few more things and put them into their right spot.**

**"Parkinson's your girlfriend though isn't she?" Hermione asked curiously, "or is she more of a convenience?"**

"She's just a family friend who father wants to arrange to marry me," Draco grumbled, flicking his current parchment piece so hard that it knocked a few others out of the way. He righted them quickly and sighed. This punishment was definitely not his idea of fun. A convenience... That's exactly what Pansy was too. Neither of them had really actually 'liked' each other. Well, maybe Pansy did, but he didn't like her. They had just dated to have someone to date and shag and make appearances with. Plain and simple.

**"That must suck," Hermione said simply, "I can't imagine my parents arranging my marriage. Actually I'd probably flatly refuse...but they aren't like that anyway. They want me to be happy with who I choose to marry, they'd never force me into doing something I didn't want too." She went silent and after that she continued to work through the things her mind of in her own little world.**

**She was just going through her memories of her parents and family and her new little baby brother. He was so cute she hadn't seen much of him though. He had been born before only a week before she left for school. She had been given permission to go visit next weekend though. **

**"Oh Malfoy, next Saturday and Sunday I'm going home for something...just so you know."**

"I'm not being forced," Draco snorted, wondering who would want to marry /her/ anyway, "I choose to obey my parents and marry whomever will increase our social standing. That makes them happy just like it makes yours happy for you to choose your own person." He stiffened though when she mentioned leaving for home that weekend. How was he supposed to watch over her if she was gone?

"You can't," he said flatly, "you can't go. If you're that far away then how can I be guaranteed that you won't tell your parents and have them help you? Even if they are just stupid muggles."

**She glared at him. "My parents aren't stupid Malfoy, and I don't bloody care if you don't want me to, I'm going home to see my baby brother," she said stubbornly. "If you want to 'watch over' me you'll just have to come with me, I'm sure my parents would be delighted to meet my /boyfriend/," she told him, clearly extremely angry that he had even suggested that she not go home for the weekend.**

He thought about that for a moment before nodding. "Fine, I'll escort you then. But don't expect me to be the doting young lover who wants to impress your mom and dad. They can kiss my arse if they don't like me."

He ignored her protests about her parents not being stupid and figured he would just bring some homework along work on it over the weekend. There had to be some guestroom for him to stay in where he could retreat to whenever her family got to be too much.

**She sighed and muttered some stuff under her breath in annoyance before getting her bag and pulling out some parchment and a quill as well, as an ink pot and setting it down on the desk starting to write a letter to her parents. **

_**Dear Mum and Dad,**_

_**I'm just sending a letter to say that I'm still coming this weekend to see the little tyke, I still think you chose the wrong name for him though.**_

_**Anyway, I hope you don't mind but I'm bringing my new boyfriend along so he can meet you... He's a bit high maintenance… Okay, a lot, but...I really like him... He can be really sweet at times, it's just the way he was brought up that's all. **_

_**Love you heaps. **_

_**Hermione.**_

**"I've never written such crap in my whole life," she muttered reading over it.**

Draco leaned over his desk, trying to read the letter and finally snatching it out of her hand. "Let's see this...," he trailed off, his frown growing as he read it over. "I am NOT high maintenance!" Draco protested angrily, tossing it back onto the desk she was using, "and I'm insulted that you would even write that!" He glared at her darkly, glancing towards the door.

"Now I feel like marching down to my room and telling Voldemort all about your disgusting little plans," he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his head away from her.

**Hermione sighed and basically wanted to point out that everything he just did proved that he was in fact was high maintenance. "Malfoy, I only said that in case you insulted them. I love my parents a lot and well...they're really protective over me," she said with a sigh. She could just imagine the uproar her father would make if Draco insulted Hermione or them while they where there.**

"I guess they'll have to forgive me for thinking their muggle ways are stupid then," he smirked, seeming to forgive her for the comment. "Besides. I guess you'll have to cover for me anytime I say something wrong. I've never done this girlfriend-boyfriend thing before." He was used to shagging and sleeping around, but not actually dating one girl at a time. He was up to the challenge though.

Everything was worth it to make Granger's life miserable.

**"Mal – Draco," she said as if trying to get used to it. She guessed that if he were supposedly her boyfriend then she'd have to start using his first name. **

**"First person in Hogwarts to commit suicide because of their boyfriend," she sighed, rubbing her temples. She wouldn't really do that because it meant giving up. Everyone damn well knew that she would never give up. **

**"Anyway, as I was saying. Even though I'm pretending to date you, I draw the line at shagging. There is no way in hell that I'd ever do that with you."**

"I didn't ask you to," he shuddered, shooting her a disgusted look, "what ever gave you the idea that I would want to shag /you/ in the first place?" Draco honestly looked like he would rather see Snape is a thong bikini then to have to have sex with Hermione. Just the idea of having to see her naked make him feel sick. Whether it was the fact she was a mudblood, a Gryffindor or just not his type, he didn't know. In any case, it grossed him out.

"Don't flatter yourself/Hermione/," he snickered, resuming the sorting process as he tried to banish naked images of her from his mind now. Ugh, Weasel's arse was bad enough!

**"That's not flattering myself," she replied in a huff. "Flattering myself would be acting like Parkinson - and even if I am pretending to be your girlfriend I'm bloody well not acting that desperate," she said stubbornly before resuming her job, a thought then struck her. Snape! He'd realize something was amiss wouldn't he? She had told him only an hour before about the note and now suddenly she was dating Malfoy? **

**He'd realize the reason wouldn't he?**

"What do you look so relieved for?" Draco demanded, watching her suspiciously. Something had just clicked in her mind and he didn't like it. She was far too intelligent for her own good and he was actually a little nervous about blackmailing her. One mistake and he'd be dead meat. Hermione wouldn't hesitate to murder him as soon as she got the chance.

He suddenly shot out his hand, gripping her chin tightly as he forced to her to look at him and glared into her eyes. He wasn't terribly good at legilimency, but he could try. Draco wanted to know what she had just thought of.

**"Digging into my mind are we Malfoy?" she asked him slightly amused. "I was taught occlumency over the holidays, by one of the best teachers too, withstand a mental attack from Voldemort," she told him. The teacher was Snape…but hey. **

**"Unfortunately, I wasn't actually all that good at legilimency though…," she sighed.**

"Bloody witch," he muttered, shoving her away roughly as he went back to their work, "what were you thinking about that gave you that look? Tell me!" He guessed she had figured some way out of obeying him or maybe even a way to get back at him. He couldn't have that. She was messing with his plan. How was he supposed to know that Hermione had learned to keep people out of her mind?

**"That's right," she smiled at his so-called insult 'bloody witch'. "Actually I was only thinking about Professor Snape so I don't see what you're getting all worked up about," she said with a small shrug, slightly forgetting that Draco was basically as smart as she was so maybe he'd also click at what she had been thinking on. **

**"I wish I didn't miss dinner," she sighed to herself, now feeling the full effects of doing so.**

He looked back at her sharply at the mention of Snape. Wait, what exactly had she asked to speak to him about? She wouldn't have trusted him enough to ask him about finding the 'lost' note, would she? "You told Snape that you lost the note, didn't you?" he snarled, still feeling a little confused. Snape was on Voldemort's side. What would make Hermione feel so comfortable around the potions professor that she would confide in him something like that?

If she had told him then that would change things. He'd have to be more careful and make sure to act like he was in the relationship as well or Snape would suspect he was using her. She'd just have to be damn convincing.

**Hermione looked at him before smiling. "Yup," she said simply. **

**"And the Professor is no fool, when he sees that you're 'using' me...for lack of better words, then he'll probably realize what's going on," she said, the smile still on her face. Yes! She had found a way out of this mess. Oh she had never loved Snape more...actually she had never loved him at all so it was a large step in itself.**

Draco shook his head slowly and simply smirked. She was underestimating him again. "Too bad I won't be giving him any reason to be suspicious," the blonde said coolly, "since I'm allowed to date anyone I wish. Especially my beautiful Gryffindor princess. Right, Hermione?" He smiled warmly at her, actually seeming pleasant towards her for once in his life. "I just couldn't help falling for someone who challenged me like you do. Sparks flew, tension built and then we were all over each other like a couple of teenagers in love. Which is what we are I guess." He laughed, a humorless and mean sounding laugh.

And there she thought she had him trapped. He could act just as well as she could.

**"Bloody hell," Hermione said with wide eyes as she looked at him in shock sounding very much like Ronald Weasley at this time. "My worst nightmare is coming to life," she said dramatically, before chuckling. "Oh yes that's right, Draco, darling," she smiled just as warmly. "You're just so handsome and funny, and just simply amazing once you get past the often cold exterior," she said giving a small giggle, sounding very much like an airhead, but a very believable airhead. **

**If he wanted to freak her out like that, she'd do it back.**

"Don't be stupid," he rolled his eyes, "you can't behave that way. Tone it down a notch or two and no giggling. It's creepy." He eyed her warily and finally deciding not to say anything else as he grabbing a fresh stack of potion recipes. He didn't want to admit it, but it felt nice to hear her say he was handsome, even if it was fake. The only people that had ever said it were girls that he was sure were only flattering him to become is next conquest and attempt to be a little more. No one ever convinced him to stick around for very long. Well, maybe Pansy, but she didn't count.

Sending a few more papers up into the air, Draco sighed and wondered when the hell Snape was coming back. He was tired and hungry, as she had just mentioned herself, and he wanted to just go pass out in his nice warm bed.

**"Oh come on Malfoy, most of the girls you shag probably giggle like that since the school is mostly filled with airheads," she said rolling her eyes before smirking. "You do realize that if you want this to work you cant shag anyone, most of the female population know when, who and where you shag someone so Snape is bound to find out within a day," she said casually.**

**HA. Cut off what he likes most and he'll be begging to give the note back.**

Draco shrugged and tried to ignore her insulting words. He didn't /always/ shag girls like that... "That's fine," he agreed, knowing that it had to be that way for his blackmail to work. Eventually he'd get bored of it and give her the stupid letter back anyway so then he could shag all the girls senseless that he wanted to.

Snape entered the room at the moment and eyed them both carefully as he found, surprisingly, that they were both working on what he had told them to and no one was injured or missing limbs. "This looks...pleasant," he commented sarcastically, placing a stack of marked papers on his desk.

"We did as much as we could professor," Draco sighed, "I made a few mistakes, but Hermione's figured out a few good ways to keep everything in order."

**"Yes, well you may go now," he then frowned. "/Hermione/ found a good way to keep everything in order?" Putting more attention onto the fact that Draco had just called her Hermione. **

**Hermione grinned and looked at Professor Snape. "I, of course, couldn't have thought of it with out Draco though," she said as she stood and picked up her bags. Snape just stayed in a shocked silence. "Do you want to come down to the kitchens with me and get some food?" she asked Draco, "the great hall would be closed now."**

"Sure," he nodded, gathering his things and slipping his arm around her waist with a soft smile. If it wasn't for keeping up appearances, he would have burst out laughing at Snape's confused and a little bit scared expression. He'd probably never seen /that/ coming.

"Have a good evening, Professor," Draco waved, "see you tomorrow." He led Hermione out into the hall and snickered quietly as they headed for the kitchen for some late dinner. Realizing that his arm was still around her, he quickly let go and took a small step to the side. "I'm bloody starving," he muttered, trying to make himself feel normal again.

**Hermione looked at him. "I figured," she answered with a nod trying to forget the fact that his arm had just been around her. Gross. She looked at his face expression and rolled her eyes. "You know that this is going to be just as bad for you as it is for me?" she said shaking her head lightly. Boys. So stupid. **

**Once they reached the kitchens she walked up to a portrait and tickled the pear, the portrait then swinging open revealing the kitchen door.**

"You should be honored that I would go so far to make you suffer," he smirked, pushing through the door to go raid the fridges for leftover dinner, "plus I can tell the Slytherins that I'm dating you to get information about Potter and maybe they'll stop hating me."

He closed his mouth then, his face going red. He hadn't meant to say that. As far as she knew he was still a hero to all of them. Bloody hell. He consoled himself with a big piece of chocolate cake and a plate filled with chicken, potatoes and vegetables, all drizzled with gravy. The elves in the kitchen magically heated it all for him and he plopped down in a seat at the kitchen table.

**Hermione didn't say anything to his slip. She knew of course but she could tell it was a sensitive spot and she really wasn't in the mood for fighting with him...she was too hungry. She pondered what she was going to have for a few moments, before realizing with annoyance that Malfoy had picked everything that she liked. She sighed and just picked out the same things, but only having the gravy on her potatoes, and then went and sat opposite him after getting it warmed.**

**"Malfoy, can I ask you something?"**

"If you have the intelligence to form a coherent sentence and speak, then I suppose so," he shrugged, taking a bite of his potatoes. He wasn't sure it was a question he would want to answer since she seemed kind of reluctant to ask, but he'd listen anyway.

His icy gaze lifted to her as he chewed, a curious look on his face that softened his expression until he almost looked...handsome. It was a big improvement once he stopped with the constant sneer.

**She rolled her eyes at his words and looked up at him and was a little taken back by the expression on his face. Putting that aside she looked back down taking her time in finishing the mouth full of chicken that she had before looking at him.**

**"Why did you hesitate in killing Dumbledore when you clearly could at that time?"**

Draco choked on his potatoes, coughing and gasping as he hit a fist against his chest. Was she /trying/ to kill him? Probably. "Does it matter?" he muttered, taking a sip of pumpkin juice and clearing his throat with a couple lighter coughs. Inhaling potatoes was now adding to his list of things /not/ to do.

**Hermione couldn't help but feel slightly sorry when he started dying on his potatoes, but of course she didn't help him in any way though. She tilted her head slightly as she munched on some more chicken studying him, swallowing. "Yes," she said simply before eating a little bit more of her chicken with a small bit of potato.**

He closed his eyes for a moment as he caught his breath and thought. That wasn't really something he wanted to discuss with anyone, let alone Hermione. Why did she care? It wasn't like his answer would magically change anything. Dumbledore was still dead, whether he did it or not.

"I didn't want to kill him," he said finally, shoving another bite of potatoes in his mouth and eating them more carefully. That was the truth. He hadn't wanted any part in the entire thing, but it was either do as he was asked or watch his family be tortured to death at the hands of their dark lord. He couldn't do that to them any more then Hermione could refuse to do something to keep her friends and family safe.

**"Well…I had kind of already figured that," she mumbled, displeased with the answer. Seriously, he could have given her something with a little more…heart maybe? She shook her head slightly at that thought, Malfoy and heart in the same sentence with out the word cold in the middle? It was a laugh. **

**"Draco," she said suddenly, but rather softly. "I just want you to know…no matter what I'll always love you," she said with a small smile, stamping on his foot. It not only made her feel better for saying those disgusting words, but so he knew to react properly, because someone was watching them, boiling over in anger. They hadn't noticed that Hermione had seen them though...thankfully. "I'm glad we finally got everything behind us," she said softly reaching forward and lacing her fingers with his. **

**All this acting was for none other then Pansy, oh how she loved to piss that girl off.**

Draco nearly choked on his food again at her words, but the foot stomp let him know that she was saying it for a reason. "I'm glad," he smiled, placing his other hand over hers gently, "because I don't know what I'd do without you." He gave her hand a squeeze before he resumed eating, trying not to gag on his food. Oh merlin. What had he gotten himself into? If it weren't for his stubbornness and his refusal to give in and surrender before Hermione did, he would have just given her the damn letter.

It was weird to say that kind of stuff to Granger, especially since she was probably enjoying being fawned over. Now he just had to figure out what had made her react like that.

**"DDDRRAAAYYYCOOOO," squealed Pansy's voice as Hermione smirked slightly and leaned back in the seat to let Draco take care of his girlfriend...well his future wife...what ever Pansy was. **

**"HOW COULD YOU?" She screeched basically into Draco's ear as she came up beside him looking livid, wanting to beat some sense into him. "And with the mudblood," she hissed lowly, her voice going dramatically high to low. **

**Hermione chuckled.**

"Ow, for fucks sake Pansy," Draco growled, rubbing his ears, "can you screech a little softer? I was trying to eat some dinner with my girlfriend..."

Pansy went completely pale then and looked like she might burst into tears. "B-But Draco...WE'RE supposed to be together! What do you see...in...in THAT?!" Her voice was still scratching on his nerves and he sighed in annoyance.

"She doesn't sound like she on helium every time she speaks for one thing," the blonde commented, shoving Pansy away when she came to cling to him, "and she isn't so DAMN NEEDY!" He shoved her back again and she narrowed her eyes at Hermione then.

"YOU!" she shrieked, lunging for Hermione.

**Hermione was chuckling the whole time and was even laughing when Pansy basically flung herself over the table, tackling her to the ground. She rounded her shoulders and punched Pansy in the only place that she could reach at the time,he girls arm, but that was enough to make her jump and back off. **

**"You're a desperate slut!" Pansy snarled and Hermione stood and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. **

**"So are you saying people would only date Draco as a last resort...since you did call me desperate after all," she said casually.**

**Pansy paled. "No, no I didn't mean that stop twisting my words mudblood!" she screeched.**

**"Oh, so are you saying that Draco's lousy in bed so I'd have to sleep around with other guys since that is what slut means, sleeping around behind your partners back," she said with a smile.**

**Pansy's mouth opened and shut before she growled and tried to slap Hermione.**

Draco caught Pansy's hand in midair and actually seemed upset that she was carrying on like this. "Pans, it time for you to go," he said firmly, "you know I can't stand it when you freak out like this and it's not doing anyone any good. Just go to bed." He dropped her hand and frowned at her.

This time Pansy did burst into tears and she ran from the kitchen with her hands over her face, running for the Slytherin dorms.

"Just great," Draco grumbled, sitting back down like nothing had just happened, "now everyone will know by first period."

**"Wasn't that what you wanted?" Hermione asked with a shrug picking up her chair and sitting back down on it to continue with her dinner. **

**"Does she always react like that when you show interest in someone besides her?" she asked tilting her head slightly, "I'd imagine she makes it hard for you to sleep around."**

**She briefly looked towards the door hoping Harry and Ron wouldn't come in, since they both liked to sneak out and come to the kitchens at night.**

"I want people to know, but not from /her/," he spat, stabbing his chicken in annoyance, "and if you must know, I never dated her at the same time I was sleeping with other girls." He never would have dared. Pansy was scary jealous when it came to him and she always made sure to keep him happy so he wouldn't have any reason to go to a different girl. Of course, they broke up off and on when they were angry at each other for whatever reason.

Hermione acted like she knew everything about him, but she really didn't. She just looked at 'Draco Malfoy' and saw a rich snob who had enough power that girls were drawn to his bed by the hundreds. He wasn't /that/ lucky.

**Hermione sighed as she thought about all the problems that this thing would cause between her and the rest of Gryffindor. Draco Malfoy was going to ruin her - wait unless – no…she didn't want to try it. She absentmindedly fingered the locket around her neck. What if this had some way of Draco listening to her? She couldn't very well tell her friends that she was using Malfoy for information like he was going to tell Slytherin. **

**She wondered what it could do, for he had never told her anything besides the fact that he'd know if she took it off. She sighed once again as she let the locket drop once again. "Hang on, you said this locket does a number of things right, as well as you'd know if I took it off. Why were you giving it to Parkinson?"**

"I thought she was cheating on me," he said simply, "and she gets distracted enough by shiny things not to be suspicious of me for giving a random gift." He stabbed at his food again like there was a chance that the dark haired Slytherin girl might feel it. Draco really wasn't too impressed with any of his friends at the moment and putting Granger through hell would possibly help to cheer him up. The weird part would be pretending to enjoy her company. If he couldn't convince everyone that they were really together, then he definitely couldn't convince Snape.

**"Oh," was all that Hermione said as she looked back down at the locket. She guessed even the Slytherin sex king...or so he had been labeled, worried about his girlfriend cheating on him like any normal person. Actually she was still slightly surprised to find out he had been faithful to Pansy whenever they dated.**

**"Well, I'm going to go to bed now, does his majesty have a problem with that?" she asked as she stood up. It didn't sound sarcastic...but they both knew that it was.**

"I don't care," he muttered, shoving the food aside. Talking about Pansy made him irritable and lose his appetite. But of course, he wasn't supposed to show any weakness. That much was expected of him before and even more so now that he'd let everyone down. He wasn't 'allowed' to be upset or hurt or anything but smug and confident.

Running a hand through his hair to get the bangs out of his eyes, Draco glanced up and glared at Hermione. Why was she still standing there? "I thought you were leaving?" His tone was cold and almost angry. He wasn't angry at /her/ but it came out that way.

**She looked at him silently. "I've never seen you look vulnerable before," she said simply, before walking out the kitchen leaving him by himself, well with the house elves. She sighed and started to make her way to the Gryffindor common room.**

**Upon reaching the tower though, she found that everyone had gone to bed...except Harry.**

**"Harry…," she said softly looking at him after the portrait closed in her wake.**

**"Where have you been?" Harry asked worriedly, looking up at her. **

Draco growled quietly and hit his plate to the side again so hard that it went banging to the ground. The house elves scrambled to clean up the mess and did their best to stay out of the way as he stalked from his seat to the door. He had no intentions of going after Hermione just to start an argument, but he did want to get out of the kitchen.

The tired blonde was sneaking up towards the astronomy tower when Granger and Potter's voices spoke clearly into his mind. Ugh. That was the last thing he need. To hear /her/ right now. But he had to listen and make sure she watched her words. A simple spell would stop him from hearing until he had the desire to again, but he didn't entirely trust her to obey him even still.

**Hermione sighed at the way that sentence came out. He sounded as if he didn't trust her at all. Hermione took a breath before replying, "as you know I had detention with Malf-uh-Draco tonight." **

**"Draco?!" Harry asked outraged that she was using his first name.**

**"Yes, Draco," she repeated. "Harry, I know you told Ron that you comforted me after the prat cheated on me, but…well, the truth is that you didn't," she told him carefully. **

**She took a deep breath and prepared for the storm. "Draco did."**

Draco snickered to himself at Harry's reaction and crept the rest of the way up to tower, gazing at the stars as he cooled off. So maybe he had a little bit of a temper problem, but it wasn't his fault. "Maybe if she wasn't such a frustrating little tart then I wouldn't want to murder her...," he muttered, letting out a laugh as she lied, saying he was the one who comforted her after Ron cheated on her. Yah right. Potter was going to blow a fuse.

This really shouldn't be so much fun to listen in on, but it was! In fact, it was even cheering him up a great deal.

**Hermione jumped slightly, "What?" she asked looking around trying to find Draco. She could have sworn she just heard him call her a tart. **

**Harry looked at her like she was crazy, "I haven't said anything! Oh, but I will! MALFOY! HOW THE HELL COULD YOU SLEEP WITH MALFOY?!" he demanded of her.**

**Hermione gasped. "I never said I slept with him!" she hissed in a low voice. "I may have been upset but I never would have sunk that - ahh I mean," she cleared her throat hoping Harry didn't notice the slip.**

**"You said he comforted you!" Harry snarled. **

**"How the hell does shagging come into that? Get your mind out of the gutter, Potter," she replied, just as angrily.**

**"Potter?" he asked glaring at her. **

**Hermione's eyes widened understanding what she had just done. "Oh, Harry I didn't mean it I was just mad," she said running after him as he tried to walk away. **

**"I have nothing to say to you/Granger/."**

Draco was chuckling now, loving the fact that Hermione had slipped up and called her own best friend 'Potter'. If he could have seen Harry's face it would have been even better. Hermione must be crushed that her friends were going to abandon her just because she was with him.

"Stupid mudblood deserves it though," he confirmed to himself aloud, trying to stifle the tiniest bit of guilt that was worming its way into his mind. It wasn't fair in a way that he was forcing her to be alone without anyone who cared just because he was, but it was /his/ blackmail so that was too bloody bad.

**"I'm going crazy!" she exclaimed, now alone after Harry stormed up to the boys dorms. She was hearing Malfoy's voice again! What the hell was going on? She took a breath as she sat down on the couch putting her head into her hands as she started to cry softly. **

**She had to remember why she was doing this, to get that bloody note back. If she hadn't been stupid enough to write it in the first place then they wouldn't have a problem. **

**Harry would have to forgive her when he found out the reason wouldn't he? **

**"He has to," she said softly to herself, "please don't hate me Harry…you're my family."**

Draco /did/ felt a little guilty as he listened to Hermione cry. As much as he felt she deserved it, having to hear her cry still bothered him. "Bloody emotional women," he declared, muttering the spell that blocked him from hearing her and glaring up at the sky. When everyone in Slytherin had ignored him he hadn't been a wuss and cried. He just accepted it and moved on. Besides, Potter was a lousy person and probably a lousy friend.

Still...her words wouldn't stop playing through his mind. 'You're my family'... Sighing, Draco steeled himself against feeling anything at the moment and trudged back down to his room. Tomorrow was another day.

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Well, not a completely eventful chapter, but the next one has a lot more fun Hermione tormenting and Draco considering that he may just be a bit too much of a prat. We all love him though! hugs Draco Please keep all the wonderful reviews coming! The more we get the more inspiring we are to continue. Heh heh. It's nice to see our little roleplay getting good reviews. Feel free to give suggestions and comments and please review! throws cookies to readers See you next chapter! 


	4. Crucio

A/N: Nat and Jess here, just a reminder to tell you that this is in fact a role play that we've decided to post as a story Jess is bold while Nat is normal.

Thank you for the reviews we did get! A lot of our chapters are already finished ahead of time, but it's still nice to get the feedback and encouragement. Hope you all enjoy chapter four!

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**Hermione woke early the next morning and got into the bathroom before anyone else. After showering and getting ready she looked at her reflection in the mirror. **

**Plain frizzy hair, plain brown eyes... her skin was tanned but it wasn't anything to be jealous over. She didn't exactly have a wonderful figure either, not like Lavender. **

**Sure she was confident, but that was confidence in knowledge, not looks. She sighed, wondering who would really believe that she was Draco's girlfriend. They hated each other, he was a Slytherin and pureblood, she a Gryffindor and a muggle born or as he liked to say, 'mudblood'. He was handsome and attractive...she was not. Simple as that. She touched her hair, it was soft and that was the only thing she liked about her hair.**

**"It'll be over soon, I just have to put a wall around myself. I can't let him get to me. I won't let him get to me." 'But he's already gotten to me' was her silent thought.**

Draco didn't wake up until Blaise ripped the covers off of him and announced it was time to come down for breakfast. "Sod off," Draco grumbled, burying his head under a pillow. He found himself on the floor, looking upside down at his smirking friend.

"I said get ready and I meant it you lazy arse," Blaise rolled his eyes, already dressed and groomed and ready for a leisurely breakfast.

Righting himself with a bit of effort, Draco made sure to slam the door to the bathroom once he was in, even though he was smiling. It was nice to have his friend somewhat back. At least Blaise was speaking to him again.

"Did I mention that I'm dating Hermione Granger?" he called through the door, his words a little muddled as he brushed his teeth.

A loud crash came from their room and he chuckled as the door was wrenched open. "WHAT did you just say?" Blaise demanded. He honestly looked ready to beat the information out of Draco.

"I said I was dating Granger," he smirked, leaning over to spit in the sink, "she got cheating on, I comforted her and now she thinks I'm some kind of savior. I figured why not date the girl that's so close to Harry Potter, she must know all his secrets, right? And then when they get angry with her and hurt her for 'dating the enemy', I'll be there to be the understanding lover and she'll spill everything."

Blaise continued to stare at his former best mate for a few moments before he burst out laughing and clapped him on the back. "That is by far the meanest and most devious plan I have ever heard," he grinned. "I love it."

Draco smirked and finished up in the bathroom, quickly yanking on his uniform before heading down to breakfast with Blaise. Now for the hard part. Pretending to like Granger.

**Hermione happily walked into the library with a large grin spread across her face. She had already eaten breakfast, in fact she was one of the first people in there. In and out, she loved it...and now, she didn't have to face the ferret at breakfast in the great hall.**

**Granted, she had just gone to the most obvious place that she could be. The head girl walked past her and Hermione had to restrain herself from glaring, she couldn't believe that she hadn't been made head girl.**

**She supposed it made sense though, with all the things she had been up to with Harry and Ron for the last six years she probably didn't have time to be head girl, especially now that Harry was so intent on killing Voldemort. **

As Draco strolled into the great hall with his dark skinned friend, he scanned the Gryffindor table and frowned. Where was she? They weren't terribly early either. Most of the tables were fairly full by now and Potter and Weasel were eating across from each other, apparently still not speaking. He had really botched up their little friendship triangle. Good.

Not really paying attention to whatever Blaise was going on about, he muttered the spell that would allow him to hear Hermione again and sat down at the table. She couldn't avoid him forever if that's what she was planning, they had class together first thing.

**"Granger!" was the first word that would've rung into Draco's ears. It was of course the angry voice of Pansy. **

**"Parkinson," came Hermione's calm reply, "I didn't think you knew where the library was." She smirked slightly, tilting her head. **

**"Why weren't you at breakfast? Scared to face me?" snarled Pansy. **

**Hermione just chuckled. "I've already had breakfast Parkinson, I always have breakfast early. Why so intent on knowing what I do? I thought you'd be with Malfoy begging for him back so you can eventually marry and then divorce him taking half his fortune." **

**"Well, you won't be able to do it!" Pansy laughed, "like he'd ever marry you Maybe he thinks you're a good shag, but I'm the one that'll get the money and the marriage."**

"Like I'd ever shag her," Draco scoffed, shutting up when Blaise gave him a weird look. Pansy hadn't even spoken to him since she flipped out the night before and now she was telling Granger that he only thought his new 'girlfriend' was a good shag? At least the frizz head would know he'd never said that since they'd never done that.

He was half tempted to skip breakfast and intercept the arguing since he knew where she was now and that she wouldn't be coming back to the great hall. Hmm, maybe after a couple more bites.

**Hermione smirked at Pansy before standing up and walking towards her... starting to explain the very personal details of her and Draco's 'fake sex' very thankful that she had at least read some books and listened to Lavender so she knew what the hell she was talking about. Pansy went extremely red in the face. **

**"You know," Hermione said finally, cutting off her explanation, "for someone that gets around you're blushing very hard." **

**"I've only even slept with Draco!" she snapped, before gasping and covering her mouth. Hermione just raised an eyebrow.**

Draco spit his pumpkin juice all over a poor, unsuspecting first year and coughed as he remembered how to breathe. Hermione's little 'sex tales' were traumatizing enough before Pansy said she had never slept with anyone but him! Oh merlin. She had always told him stories of her glorious romps with all sorts of men to make him feel jealous and lucky to have her again. But it was all lies... She was a lying little minx! And he was no better...

Making up a quick excuse of forgetting to do some homework, Draco hurried out of the great hall and heading for the library, intent on stopping those two from discussing anything further about /his/ abilities in the sack.

**"Why would you lie about that?" Hermione asked with a small frown. Her voice wasn't...mean or anything, just curious.**

**"Because! Whenever we'd fight he'd always go sleep with some bimbo. I…I tried to do the same thing but I felt so guilty that I couldn't even bring myself to do it," Pansy replied, forgetting for a moment who she was talking to. Hermione suddenly felt bad for Pansy but no, she still didn't like her. **

**She sighed. "Don't worry about it Pansy, I'm sure Draco's only using me for information and will get rid of me when he gets what he wants. You'll get him back in the end," she smiled before starting to cover herself up. After all, she should seem at least a little hurt that her 'boyfriend' didn't want her. "I'm jealous that you will get him too,.I wish I was born a pureblood so I could have more of a chance..." **

Pansy looked at her. "You mean it?" she asked slowly and Hermione nodded. "Thanks mudblood," she smiled. Hermione chuckled.

Draco came into the library then, cringing at their almost friendly words and calling Hermione's name. "Hermione? Hello? Anyone in here?" Madame Pince shot him a dirty look for making noise in her library and he fell silent before she could kick him out. Where were they?

He bit his lip guiltily, wishing Pansy had just told him that she didn't really go off and sleep with other guys. Draco had always figured that if she was able to go off with someone else so easily then he must not really mean anything to her. How was he supposed to know that the slut was really nice deep down? Oh well...she was too damn boring anyway.

"Ah, there you are," Draco smiled, spotting the two of them finally and moving over there, "I missed you at breakfast."

**Hermione looked towards Draco. "Hello," she smiled at him, wanting to barf all over his face. The bastard, she may not like Pansy but how could he do that to her? She would've throttled him if she had been Pansy. "Missed you at breakfast," she smirked slightly at him. **

**Pansy looked between the two of them before mumbling something under her voice and leaving the two of them alone.**

**"You're a bastard," she said bluntly to him once she was sure they where alone, "how could you do that to her?"**

"Do what?" he spat, clearly not appreciating being called a bastard, "where do you get off telling how to treat my old girlfriends anyhow?" He glared at Hermione and glanced around to make sure no one was listening before shoving her deeper into the maze-like shelves. Draco wasn't chancing someone seeing their argument.

Honestly! She had no right to say anything just because she'd suddenly decided to be all buddy-buddy with Pansy.

**Hermione shook her head lightly, hearing an echo of Draco's voice. "No one should treat their partner like that," she retorted crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest. Obviously this was a sore spot, after all Ron had cheated on her because she held out on sex. **

**She knew that Pansy didn't hold out and still Draco slept around, granted while the two fought, but it was still wrong though! "Are all guys the same?" she snarled.**

"If by the same you mean that not a single one of us wants to shag /you/, then yes," Draco sneered back, pushing her up against a bookcase, his hand at her neck, "and if you expect me to keep quiet when you're behaving this way, you're sorely mistaken my dear."

He glared into her eyes, wanting to slap her or cause some sort of pain. Granger was so bloody stuck up and full of herself, telling him how he should treat Pansy. She had always acted like some sort of easy whore, so that was how he had treated her.

"I'm not one of your whores that you can slap around and that'll take it Malfoy," she retorted, trying to ignore how much his hand was hurting her throat and making her struggle slightly for breath, though she could still breathe. She was scared of him at this moment, though nothing apart from her eyes gave away this fright. Everything else, her tone, her face was stubborn and strong.

**She wouldn't shake with fear either. She'd face it.**

Draco gave her a dangerous look before releasing her throat and leaning so close their breath collided. "Look here you stupid little witch," he hissed, "our agreement was that you would shut your mouth and be a good little girl or I would go to Voldemort. You don't seem to be upholding /your/ end of the bargain..."

He trailed off to let her think about that as he pulled back and started to walk away. He didn't need to put up with this crap, he'd just go tell Voldemort and look good in the dark lord's eyes and then Hermione would still suffer.

Hermione reached up grabbing the front of his shirt holding him there. "Your life would be over if you did that Malfoy, I'm not stupid. You do that and everyone will know that you're a death eater. I don't care if you have a mark or not, there is a spell that I casted when we made this deal," she said softly.

**"If you tell or show Voldemort anything, the order opposing Voldemort will instantly know what happened. I have made sure that all of these memories would instantly go to a person, a teacher that I trust."**

"I don't care," he growled, slapping her hand away, "it's worth it to know that you and Potter and Weasel will be tortured to your slow, painful deaths while I watch. Right now I can't think of anything so glorious then someone finally shutting you up." He crossed his arms over his chest, honestly ready to go straight to his lord.

So what if some teacher found out what side he was on. Didn't everyone already know? That's why the school hated him in the first place. He wasn't technically a 'death eater' yet, but this little tidbit of information might be all he needed to deserve that honor.

**Hermione let some tears of fright run down her cheeks. "Malfoy! Draco...please," she said softly. "Voldemort can't have that information," she pleaded desperately. **

**"People will die because of you Malfoy. You didn't want to kill Dumbledore... He allowed himself to be killed to hide this secret. Don't you understand that Malfoy? This is the reason Dumbledore died. This is the reason you and Severus are in Dumbledore's will being proved innocent. Severus is the teacher that my memories would go to Draco. Do you understand? Severus is the teacher that I trust. Severus is a spy. He doesn't agree with Voldemort's ways!" **

**She hadn't exactly registered what she had just told him, that she had just put Snape's life in danger.**

"Oh stop crying you stupid girl, that's complete and utter bullocks!" he snapped angrily, shoving her back again and not flinching even slightly when she hit the bookcase hard enough to send a few books to the floor. Now she was just trying to save her own skin by lying. Why would Snape be the person she trusted most? Was she really that stupid to be duped by his acting?

"Snape is just as loyal as I am!" Draco growled, although he didn't sound as sure of himself as he should. Hermione wasn't stupid... Surely if she was being tricked, she would know it...wouldn't she? But...Snape killed Dumbledore! He killed him! Why would he do that if he wasn't on the winning side? Voldemort's side...

"**Snape is loyal, yes. Loyal to Dumbledore," she growled in return, her back hurting a lot now as she pushed the pain out to the back of her mind, putting all her attention onto Draco. "Snape killed Dumbledore because he had to if you failed, your mother made a unbreakable vow with him that if you failed, Snape would have to take your place and complete your mission. Dumbledore knew of this, Snape had told him somehow," she took a breath.**

**"Dumbledore knew he was going to die Malfoy, all those lame attempts at killing him of through out last year, he knew it was you the whole time. You know that, he told you that before he died didn't he? Why do you think he never did anything about it? You're not a deatheater Malfoy, you don't have to be like your father." **

"You don't know anything!" he shouted in anger and confusion. She was starting to get to him and he didn't want to hear it anymore, "so either shut up or I'm going NOW!" Draco was shaking, from rage or fear of what might be the actual truth, he wasn't sure.

Too much of what Hermione was saying actually made sense and he had to stop thinking about it. The whole point of loyalty was that you didn't question it. He wouldn't let her affect him. The comment about his dad was low. He loved Lucius and wished he was /more/ like him, despite the man's tendency to be...a tad violent. She still should mind her own business.

**"Go talk to your godfather Draco," she said softly, knowing that she wouldn't be able to convince him anymore then that. "Or just think about it but please, please don't go to Voldemort with that information...at least not yet," she pleaded him softly.**

**"Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, what are you doing here?" came the voice of madam Prince, "class started half an hour ago!" **

"Madam Pince!" Draco squeaked, turning to face the angry woman. Oh shit...what was he supposed to say? I'm blackmailing Hermione and she's fighting me every step of the way? That would not go over well. "We...uh...we were just having a bit of a debate and lost track of time/weren't/ we Hermione."

He shot her a look and grabbed her arm, yanking her towards him. "But we'll get to class straight away ma'am." The last thing he needed was another detention for being late to charms.

**Hermione wiped her eyes and grinned giving a nod. "Yes, just a debate," she smiled at Madam Prince, who nodded stiffly as Draco dragged Hermione out the library. **

**"Let go of me Malfoy," she hissed under her voice yanking her arm from his grip. She then let out a small gasp as she crashed right into someone's chest and went backwards, landing hard on the floor. She groaned and looked up, her eyes widening as they met with none other then Lucius Malfoy. **

"Father?!" Draco gasped, stepping around Hermione to practically run into the man's arms and hug him tightly. The cold man patted Draco's shoulder a little before pushing him back.

"Come now Draco, don't tell me my son has turned into one of those sissy boys," he sniffed, brushing himself off where Draco had touched and Hermione had collided.

"F-Father, how are you- I mean, you're home! Mother has been inconsolable since you were...taken..." His voice was soft and it was clear to anyone who was listening that he was being very careful of what he said, like his own father might get angry with him. He seemed to have forgotten about the girl that had been the center of his attention only moments before.

**Hermione stayed on the ground looking at the two of them uncomfortably. Wasn't he supposed to be in Azkaban? Why wasn't he? Did the order know? She winced slightly when Lucius looked at her and kept his eyes on her. **

**"Hello mudblood, been a long time," he said coldly. **

**Hermione shrugged lightly trying to remain calm and indifferent. "It wasn't that long ago, in the department of mystery if I remember correctly," she said with a smug smile. **

"You and your bloody kids cost me the prophecy," he snarled at her and Hermione smiled.

"That's enough, Granger," Draco said warningly to Hermione, still in the mood to spill the order's secrets to Voldemort. "But father, forgetting the stupid mudblood, how are you here? They let you go?"

"No, I escaped," Lucius snapped sarcastically, "are you really that stupid, boy? Of course they let me go. A few 'friends' came and explained everything and I was released." His icy glare found its way back to Hermione and he wondered why she was just laying there. "Don't you have somewhere you need to be?" he sneered, raising a delicate eyebrow.

**Hermione shrugged and stood. "Well, my boyfriend," she said, pointing to Draco with a smile, "and I are actually late for Charms." She chuckled at the horrified look on Lucius face, "I'll tell the Professor that you won't be attending today Draco, dear." She smiled warmly to Draco before quickly moving around the corner and running to charms.**

**"Suck on that, Malfoy," she laughed softly.**

"Explain," Lucius demanded, grabbing Draco's arm and dragging him into an empty classroom. What Draco didn't realize was that Hermione was able to hear what /he/ said because of the spell that allowed him to hear her and others she was speaking to. Both his voice and Lucius' would be clear as a bell in her mind, but only if Lucius was close.

"I have something of hers and I'm blackmailing her to make her friends all hate her," Draco said quickly, wincing in expectance of being hit. Lucius shook his head and leaned against a desk, thinking.

"You know, you've been a great disappointment to me and the others involved in our cause," the blonde man mentioned casually, his frown growing as Draco hung his head. He was always so quick to cower in front of his father. "Look at me when I'm speaking to you!"

He slapped him hard across the face and Draco let out a meek 'Yes, father' before he fell silent again, rubbing his cheek gingerly.

"I wanted to let you know that I shall be...dealing with your mother as soon as I get home and that you are no longer welcome there. Until you can redeem yourself in the dark lord's eyes for the mess you've made, I refuse to see you as my son." Draco went pale and his mouth fell open, all his protests dying before they ever made it past his lips. "Oh, and to make sure you learn your lesson...Crucio."

Draco hadn't been expecting the torture spell and dropped to his knees with a cry of pain. "P-Please, father...," he tried and Lucius shook his head in disgust.

"Until you prove your worth, you are no longer my son. The spell will last until I reach the apparition point. I suggest you stop wasting your time on petty plots and start serving as you are meant to." And with that, Lucius was gone. Draco's joy at seeing his father alive and all right was gone now as he writhed on the floor of the classroom, cursing as quietly as he could manage. What hurt even more then the unforgivable curse was the fact that Lucius didn't want him. No one wanted him...

**Hermione was just about to open the door to go into charms when she heard Draco's voice in her head once again. Either she was spending way too much time around him and now her inner voice had changed to sound like Draco...or she really was hearing Draco's voice. She pulled out the locket and looked at it. There were a lot of spells on it, she knew that much, and if Draco put them on himself there might be a chance that one of them were reacting weirdly to another...so Draco would be hearing her conversations...so she could only hear his voice maybe? She didn't know, but she was sure now that it was his voice that she was hearing. **

**She moved away from the Charms door and listened silently to Draco's words trying to figure out what Lucius could possibly be saying to him, she let a small gasp slip when she heard the pain in his voice as he begged his father to...to what? Go? Stay? Stop? The pain was physical pain...not sadness from being separated again. **

She had heard a rumor once that Lucius used Crucio on Draco...but she had always thought of it as a rumor. No parent could do that to their children could they? No one could possibly be that...evil. She shook her head. Lucius was a death eater, no matter how much she disliked Draco she didn't like anyone being in pain, especially when there was a chance that Draco could possibly be good and for the 'light' side.

**She quickly ran back to the place she had left Draco and his father alone. They weren't there. She stood still in the corridor silently for a few moments trying to think before looking to the empty classroom and running in a few doors before she found him. Her eyes widened at Draco on the ground withering in pain. Quickly shutting the door behind her, she went to her knees beside him.**

**"Draco?" she asked softly taking hold of his hand holding it tightly, brushing some of his locks out of his eyes. Her own were slightly glazed over seeing him, anyone, in pain.**

**Lucius deserved to be dead.**

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Draco shouted, tears glistening in his eyes as he pulled his hand away from hers angrily. What was the mudblood /doing/ back here? How had she known where to find him?! He just wanted to suffer alone, not for his enemy to see him breaking down... As much as he tried not to tremble or make any noise, pained whimpers continued to escape his lips as the curse tore through him.

Lucius had to be walking /very/ slow or the pain would have stopped by now. It was by no means the first time he had endured this, but normally it wasn't for so long. Why was she still here?! Nosy witch. She was probably enjoying his suffering after everything he'd put her through. "I-I said get out!" he spat shakily.

**"Why do you insist on suffering alone Malfoy?" she demanded, looking at him. Tt was hurting her seeing him in pain. She would've had the same reaction with anyone in Hogwarts…well within reason. "I don't like seeing anyone in pain Malfoy," she said softly, genuine care in her voice as she imagined Draco's life. Maybe he didn't have it so good. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if her father ever did anything to hurt her. **

**She then took a breath and wrapped her arms around his shoulders hugging him tightly, knowing that he'd probably just push her away again but she had to try. **

Draco fought against the embrace like a trapped animal, not understanding why she wouldn't go. She may not like seeing anyone suffer, but he wasn't just anyone. He was Draco Malfoy, the bane of her existence... He realized that it was only hurting more to fight her and gave up, trembling and hurting as she held him. Draco felt like he might be sick. He didn't want Granger's pity and he especially didn't want her hugs!

Wiping away tears as they threatened to spill over, he glared at the curly haired girl in annoyance. He insisted on suffering alone so that no one would /see/ him suffering. This sympathy was sickening and he wanted it to stop. "P-Please stop acting like I-I'm a wounded animal," he said weakly, going limp suddenly as the spell finally ended. Oh thank merlin.

**"I'm not treating you like a wounded animal," she said as she pulled back feeling the shuddering from the crucio curse stop. "I'm treating you like a human, your father is the one that treats you like an animal. I don't pity you Malfoy. You can get out of these situations all by yourself, I know you can. I'm just sorry that you're in pain," she said softly, before standing up and walking out the room leaving him alone to think over what she had just said.**

**She let out a shaky breath once she was out of view and hearing from Malfoy. "I wish you'd just be yourself Malfoy, instead of trying to impress your father," she said softly to herself, completely forgetting about the pendant.**

Draco lay on his side with his eyes closed, his breath coming out in short gasps as the pain subsided into a dull ache. Why did she have to act all understanding about it? Granger always had to make it seem like she knew bloody everything and it drove him crazy!

His eyes narrowed as she spoke and he didn't even realize she was already out of the room when she said it. "I am being my self," he growled quietly, rocking gently to ease the need to vomit. Draco just wanted to pretend this had never happened and go to class, but he felt so weak and shaky, he wasn't sure he could. And with them /both/ missing, people would...assume...things.

**"Then you're pathetic," she spat before her eyes widened and she turned around. "Draco...are you still in the room?" she asked softly as she looked around some more. He had to be...he was spying on her with this locket. She couldn't believe the nerve of him! What could he see her as well with it? The perv! He made sure that she couldn't take it of even for a shower! **

**If he weren't in so much pain she would've gone back there and put him in the same amount of pain he was in now.**

"Can you...hear me?" he asked weakly, suddenly putting two and two together. Oh...fuck... He hadn't 'turned off' her locket yet, so to speak, and apparently she could somehow hear him through it as well. Fan-bloody-tastic. "Bloody hell, Granger. Get your fat arse back in here," he demanded, his voice less snarky even though his words were cruel. He didn't have the strength to be a come prat at the moment, but he was trying.

**"My arse is not fat," she retorted in offence, but looked over her shoulder at it as she walked. "Okay maybe a little," she said softly as she studied her behind, before sighing and walking into the room. **

**"To answer your question even though you already know the answer Malfoy, yes I can hear you too. I thought I was going crazy to start off with. You were listening to my conversation with Harry last night weren't you? I could hear you comment on things and this morning, I heard you say that you'd never shag me and spit out pumpkin juice when I explained our fake sex to Parkinson," she smirked.**

"Oh merlin," he whispered, looking even more pained now, if that was possible, "I suppose you're going to say that it serves me right for using those spells on the locket in the first place?" He didn't sound defeated...just more...tired. He was tired of trying so hard to make everyone happy and always failing miserably at it. Hell, he couldn't even make the people he didn't like /unhappy/. That had to be some sort of pathetic record.

"I am pathetic," he grumbled, agreeing with her earlier comment as he fell into self-pity. This is how it usually went for him. Anger, pity, acceptance and then lashing out at people. Hermione had better watch out for step four.

**"Yes you are," Hermione said simply, "and no I'm not going to say that. I don't say things like that Malfoy. Dumbledore gave you a second chance and you're screwing it up." She took the locket off and walked over to him, placing it in front of him.**

**"Go tell Voldemort if it means so much to you, however will you really chose a side that would kill you or your family in an instant if you screw up?" she asked softly, going to leave.**

"If...you can tell me where I put the note, I'll let you have it," he bargained, feeling uncharacteristically generous. If she guessed wrong, which she most likely would, then he wouldn't feel so guilty about going to Voldemort with the information to get recognition and acceptance back into his family. Why did Lucius always have to test him like this? From the time he was old enough to comprehend what was happening, Lucius had always been cold and distant. There had to be something wrong with him for his own father to not love him.

"Well? Any guesses?" he said quietly, trying not to get lost in his thoughts. That was the last thing he needed. Start bawling in front of Granger because daddy doesn't love him. Ugh. He still hadn't acknowledged her other words, but he had heard them.

Hermione shook her head slightly. "I have no idea where it is, Malfoy. I'll leave it up to you," she told him softly. "Your father doesn't deserve you," she told him honestly, "you try way too hard for acceptance...we both know he won't give it to you. For him it'd be like saying that you're better then him...which you are," she said before really leaving this time and shutting the door behind her.

**What she had just said was crap. She had no idea what she was talking about, but she felt she was close, as long as it made Draco think about things more.**

Draco shook his head and pulled the locket towards himself, opening the heart and taking out the piece of parchment he had folded and hidden inside. She had been wearing the note the entire time and she didn't even know it... And now she wasn't even trying to stop him from telling Voldemort. Did that mean...that he could stop pretending they were together? What about visiting her parents? She'd said she 'really liked him' or some rubbish like that.

Trembling with the after effects and pain of the curse his father had used on him, Draco lay against the floor of the classroom and wondered if all of this was really worth it just to join the ranks of murderers. What was he going to do when they asked him to kill his /next/ victim? Closing his watery eyes and still clutching the note in his hand, the blonde boy felt more alone then he ever had in his entire life.

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Well, we hoped you all liked the chapter! What will happen next? Who knows! Oh and if you have any suggestions on what may happen, or a plot for the next story that we can role play out then just send us an email or add it in your review. We'd love to know them! 


	5. Little Draco

A/N: Nat and Jess here, just a reminder to tell you that this is in fact a role play that we've decided to post as a story **Jess is bold** while Nat is normal.

Well it's official, we've now finished twenty chapters of Jealousy, which means we've been working on part two, 'Revenge'. We think there will be one last part as well, but we haven't decided on a title for it yet. If it wasn't for the great response we've been getting on harrypotterfanfiction then we probably wouldn't have keep going XD Such a small amount of reviews. Anyhow, thank you to those people that did review and we hope you all enjoy this chapter!

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Last Chapter: Draco shook his head and pulled the locket towards himself, opening the heart and taking out the piece of parchment he had folded and hidden inside. She had been wearing the note the entire time and she didn't even know it... And now she wasn't even trying to stop him from telling Voldemort. Did that mean...that he could stop pretending they were together? What about visiting her parents? She'd said she 'really liked him' or some rubbish like that. 

Trembling with the after effects and pain of the curse his father had used on him, Draco lay against the floor of the classroom and wondered if all of this was really worth it just to join the ranks of murderers. What was he going to do when they asked him to kill his /next/ victim? Closing his watery eyes and still clutching the note in his hand, the blonde boy felt more alone then he ever had in his entire life.

:-:

**Hermione came running back into the room, slamming the door and putting a locking charm on it breathing heavily before turning on Malfoy. "I don't care if the crucio curse was just placed on you, you womanizer!" she exclaimed, "I just had two girls two years younger then me give me sex advice and tell me what you like! I'm scarred for life! Oh and one more thing, you /made/ me tell my parents that I was bringing you home so you're bloody well still coming." Ha. She could torture him in a muggle home...**

Draco groaned and shook his head with reddening cheeks. He could only imagine what the girls had been telling her. Some of the things he'd done...well...even /he/ was embarrassed to say them out loud. "Why should I have to go to your house?" he protested quietly, "you aren't pretending to like me at all anymore and you apparently don't care if I go and tell Voldemort all the order's little secrets so why not tell me to just sod off?"

He hadn't moved from his place on the floor yet, but was considering making a run for it and hiding in his room for the rest of the weekend. Going to Granger's house for no reason was not his idea of a fun Saturday.

**"Because," she smiled, looking down at him. "I'll heal you so you aren't in any pain. You can't, of course, go to the hospital wing they'd instantly know what caused it, oh, and it's a learning experience," she said with a small shrug before tapping her chin thoughtfully. **

**"And if you do it I wont tell Severus that you were blackmailing me so you wont get another months worth of detention," she smiled.**

"What makes you think that /Severus/ would ever believe you?" he glared up at her, emphasizing the fact that she'd used their professor's first name. "Do you have a crush on him or something? That's disgusting Granger." He shuddered and actually considered her words. He had been planning to suffer rather then have to explain to the hospital wing how he had gotten the pain in the first place, but Hermione's offer seemed more...sensible.

"If I accept your help and I go tomorrow, will you still remember that I hate you?" he asked flatly, trying his best to sit up and keep what little dignity he had left. "Oh, and keep this. Now that you've been seen with it I can't give it to anyone," he muttered, tossing the locket at her, "remove the spells or whatever you want. I don't care."

**"Thanks I will," she smiled, catching it and completely ignoring what he had said about Snape. That was just disgusting. "Despite everything, it's a nice locket...a lot like the one my father gave my mother when they first met," she smiled, looking down at it before blushing at what she had just said. "Anyway, that's wonderful, but you have to also promise not to insult or be rude to my parents," she warned him.**

**"And yes, once we get back everything will go to normal. We'll just pretend in front of my parents," she said before pulling out her wand, "lay back down Malfoy." She lightly pushed him down, not paying attention to the fact that it would've hurt, before she started to heal the rude boy with wordless magic.**

He hissed in pain as she shoved him down and was about to tell her just what a stupid mudblood she was when the pain eased a great deal and he sighed in relief. Whatever she was doing it felt wonderful. The scowl faded from his face as he relaxed under soft touches and he chose not to comment on what kind of gift the locket was. She could just keep it and that was that.

"No promises," he whispered, a look of bliss on his face. He felt like he was floating through a soothing, warm ocean of peacefulness. Corny and lame, yes, but he didn't really know how else to describe how it felt to have her warm magic flowing through him. Everyone's magic felt different to the person it was being used on. Hers was gentle and nice... He had a feeling his would be icy cold.

**"Malfoy, I love my parents. They're extremely innocent of what it's really like in the wizarding world so please don't make them uncomfortable," she told him softly as she continued to heal him. She frowned slightly though as she went over his body again with the spells, touching random places in assessment. "Draco...you were only a toddler when he first used it on you," she said sounding pained. **

**"You had to suffer with the pain as a toddler...and it wasn't healed." **

**Okay, so it was probably obvious that Hermione wanted to be a healer once she graduated and all the business with Voldemort was over. She couldn't stand seeing people suffer. **

"So what?" he growled, pushing her hands away even though she probably wasn't done, "not everyone has muggles or even lovey dovey people for parents, all right? I can't guarantee that your parents won't be offended by something I say and I suggest you quit trying to shove your busybody nose in where it doesn't belong."

Standing shakily, Draco made a beeline for the door, automatically reverting to his nasty self as soon as Hermione brought up personal things. Even if he had suffered from a young age, that wasn't for her to know. He just wanted her to back off and stop prying! Was that so much to ask? Bloody woman.

**Hermione pointed her wand at him. "Petrificus Totalus!" She watched as Draco's arms locked to his sides and his ankles snap together, falling to the ground before he reached the door. "Sorry, Malfoy," she said with a small chuckle as she walked back over to his side. **

**"But I can't let you go when you haven't been completely healed yet," she told him as she kneeled beside his body again. "Don't move or I'll do it again," she said removing the petrifying spell before starting up with healing again.**

Draco felt the wind knock out of him as Hermione's spell caused him to crash to the floor. Who did she think she was?! No one had any right to stop him from leaving like this! "I'm not a baby," he spat, still trying to brush her hands away even though she was only helping. He didn't want to be touched by anyone and least of all/her/.

"If you don't piss off and leave me alone then I'll go to Voldemort and tell him every bloody thing I know," Draco threatened, trying to sit up and she tried to keep him down, "why do you even care?! Bloody hell, Granger, you should be happy that I'm suffering!" He knew the main reason he was lashing out now was because it scared him that she was being so nice. The only people to touch him gently or in a loving way were his mother and Pansy. Pansy was weird enough, but now the mudblood? Nothing made sense anymore.

**Hermione glared and slapped him across the face. "We made a deal Malfoy. I don't break a promise; a deal is a promise. I said I'd heal you so that we'd keep pretending till the end of the weekend and I will," she said before pushing him back down again and saying a binding spell under her voice. It he wasn't going to cooperate then she'd just have to make him. **

**It was starting to get pretty draining, using this much magic at once but it was a lot to work on. Every time the spell was used on Draco it got worse. There was years of built up damage inside him.**

Draco struggled angrily against the binding spell, swearing and cursing at her with every horrible word he could think of. Damn her! If he didn't want to be healed and touched then that should be up to him not some stupid know-it-all who always wanted things her way. How did she even know for sure that she was doing it right? Maybe she was hurting him even more...

Glaring up at the Gryffindor, he focused all his anger and hate and suddenly countered the spell, his body sitting up so fast that his forehead collided with hers. "Ow!" he grumbled, rubbing his throbbing skull with his now free hand and wishing his eyes would stop watering. He refused to be magically tied down if they were going to do this. It was degrading and he wouldn't stand for it. "H-Ha!" he declared triumphantly once the pain of his head started to pass, "no one can hold down Draco Malfoy for long!"

**Hermione sighed rubbing her head in pain. "You're such a prat, Malfoy," she complained before standing up. "Fine. If you don't wont to be healed then that's your problem. I suggest you go get yourself looked at though, having the crucio placed on you for thirteen or so years does things to your body. If you keep suffering like this your handsome little face and body will be destroyed," she said in a mockingly sweet tone, patting his cheek before walking out the door and slamming it behind her. **

**"Ungrateful bastard...trying to help," she started to mutter, completely forgetting that she had yet to remove the spells from the locket, "stubborn...pig headed...egotistical...ferret...asshole..." She continued to spit out random words under her breath about him.**

"Nice to know you think I'm handsome," he muttered, knowing she was wearing the locket still, "but I don't really appreciate the rest of that nasty stuff you're saying..." He smirked, and pushed himself to his feet shakily. When she wasn't actually in the room it was much easier to argue with her. Plus he didn't have to worry about being hexed or murdered that way.

"I must say that it almost sounds like you're talking about yourself, Granger," he added, making his way out of the classroom, "just switch 'ferret' with 'mudblood' and you've got yourself pegged."

**"Wow, Malfoy, must mean that besides our blood we're pretty much the same," she replied sarcastically to him, strangely enough it feel weird to be talking to Malfoy when he wasn't even around her. "You know, I think I'll keep the spells on this locket, Malfoy, it's great way to spy on you...I'll just take a look and see what other spells you have on here." **

**She smirked to herself, fingering the golden heart pendant. "Feel safe knowing at any time I could be listening to your conversations?"**

"Y-You can't do that!" he spat angrily, shoving the door open and scaring a second year raven claw that was on her way to the library, "I can block you out and then you shouldn't be able to hear me either!" The girl looked at him like he was mad and dashed down the hall, holding her book bag tightly.

"And now some ruddy kid thinks I'm talking to myself, thanks a lot," he muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he wandered the hall. He had transfiguration next and he still needed to grab his things. He didn't want to think about the fact that Hermione had a lot of the same traits he did. That was why they clashed so much. Put two stubborn people together who were convinced that they were always right and this resulted from it.

**"Ah, but now I know what spells you're using, Malfoy," she told him with a small chuckle, "and don't worry, I've got some weird looks too. But then again, this is a wizarding school...don't see why people are so confused." She chuckled before going silent a few moments and then Harry's voice came in. **

**  
"Where have you been Hermione?" he demanded, "why did both you and Malfoy miss charms?" **

**"Ahh...," Hermione said softly, not having registered before hand that it may look slightly strange that her and Draco never showed up.**

Draco frowned as he heard Harry's voice again. Why was that jerk always around? He seemed to think that he had some sort of claim over Granger and as much as /he/ didn't her, he didn't think that Potter should be so pushy all the time. Mostly it seemed that Ron and Harry took their friend for granted like she was some kind of homework machine that was 'one of the guys'.

"Tell him the truth," Draco said softly, knowing that Hermione would hear him anyway, "tell him my father came back and you were helping me once he was gone. He'll know if you make up some lie." Why the hell was he helping her? The pain must have gone to his head...

**"Are you sure?" Hermione asked softly in return. **

**"Who are you talking to?" Harry asked her, completely confused and getting highly annoyed. **

**Hermione shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Yes, I was with Draco...his father came back and I stayed with him after his father left," she told Harry, who was getting a little red. **

**"You shagged him again?!" he demanded. **

**"What's with you and shagging!" she retorted, "I haven't shagged him Harry...he's not like that."**

**"You must be the only person in Hogwarts to actually think that then," he replied with a snort before pushing past her, "I'm disgusted in you, Granger." **

"Tell him he's a bloody asshole and that I'm coming there now to beat in his head," Draco mentioned casually, changing course as he tried to think where she would be now. Hermione had told the honest truth and Harry was a prat to question her and accuse her of things like that. And plus he was insulting /him/! That was the worst part.

"There's nothing bloody wrong with shagging me," he muttered to himself, his confidence already shattered mostly from the past weeks at school. "Wait...did he just call you Granger?" How much trouble /had/ he caused between Hermione and her friends?

**"He's disgusted with me," Hermione stated softly with wide eyes, watching Harry's back as her best friend walked away from her, "he wouldn't even call me by my first name..." She ran after Harry, grabbing the sleeve of his shirt.**

**"Harry, please, listen to me it's not what you think," she pleaded. **

**"Let go of me, mudblood," he snapped. **

**Hermione let out a small gasp of shock taking a step back. "W-What did you just call me?" she asked softly. She couldn't believe it, Harry had just called her a mudblood.**

"That's /my/ insult!" Draco growled, seeming more annoyed with the fact that Harry had stolen it then that he'd used it towards her. "Where are you, Granger?" he sighed, turning a corner. He didn't think she could have gotten far and he was heading towards the main area of classrooms. He had a desire to punch Potter in the face right now.

**"Two corridors over from McGonagall's office," she replied softly as she continued to look up at Harry in shock. **

**"What the hell?" he demanded, confused. "Are you talking to someone? I know it's not me otherwise you would be making some bloody sense!" he exclaimed. **

**Hermione gave a soft nod. "Yeah, I'm talking to Draco," she replied softly. **

**"BLOODY MALFOY! AGAIN! CAN'T YOU JUST GET RID OF THAT PRAT?!" he yelled, making Hermione flinch. Jealousy issues or what...**

Draco broke into a jog, realizing that Potter's temper was just as bad towards his own friends as it was towards his enemies. Rounding another corner, he spotted Harry and Hermione alone in the corridor, the usual smile gone from Granger's face and replaced with a frightened expression.

"What the hell is your problem?" Draco snapped, slowing so he could stroll casually over to them, "what right do you have to treat the people that care about you like that? At least when you spaz out at me I know it's because you're an asshole and we mutually hate each other. What's your excuse for treating her like dirt?" He gestured towards Hermione, his eyes not even glancing her way though as he glared at Potter. He didn't want to make it seem like he cared or anything.

**"Draco," she said softly, actually relieved to see him for once, but she looked towards Harry again. His temper seemed to be getting worse. She hadn't seen him explode like this very many times. "Don't worry about it Draco...it's okay, just leave it," she stated, closing her eyes briefly when Harry glared at her. **

**"You always mess everything up, Malfoy," he snarled looking at Draco before landing a very nice right hook on his jaw.**

Draco stumbled back, nearly crashing into Hermione as he did, and held his face in surprise. As he raised his head again, his eyes smoldered with rage and he suddenly lunged at Harry, tackling him down to the floor and punching him in the nose to return the favor.

"Don't-" He slammed his other hand into Harry's stomach. "-ever-" Then his knee to the other boy's crotch. "-touch-" Finally one last blow to the face. "-me." He was breathing hard and his jaw ached something fierce, but he had the satisfaction of taking out his anger and frustration on Harry. He was so bloody tired of people HITTING him!

**"Draco stop!" Hermione cried trying to pull him off Harry. The only problem was she didn't know why she was stopping him. Was she doing it to help Harry? Or was she doing it to help Draco? He had been under the crucio not long ago; it wasn't healthy to do this much straight after. **

**However, not really looking at what he was aiming for Harry pulled his hand back to punch Draco once again, but instead went over his shoulder and ended punching Hermione in the face. A cry of surprise came from her lips as she flew backwards.**

Both boys froze as Hermione fell to the hallway floor, moving away from each other. Draco was surprisingly the first one to move to her side to see if she was all right, even though he should have cared less. Somehow, he knew this wouldn't have happened if it weren't for him and his childish revenge on Granger with the whole note blackmailing thing. He really was an arse.

"Potter you made her bleed!" he hissed, glaring over at the other boy as he gingerly touched Hermione's injury. "You alive, Granger? Hello?"

**There were tears in her eyes as she moved her head away from Draco's touch and brushed her own hand over were Harry had hit her, paling as her fingers came away red. "Just...just leave me alone. Both of you," she said softly, not looking at either of them. She stood up and simply ran away from the both boys, wanting to be somewhere private so she could just collect herself and regain composure. **

**She took a breath as she took a stop into the girls' toilets looking into the mirror at the bruise that was starting to show on the side of her face. She grabbed some tissue and wiped away the small amount of blood that was dripping out her nose.**

"I...I didn't mean to...that is...," Harry stammered, looking terrified. He had just hit his best friend in the face. The blood had completely drained from his face and he stared at Draco with worried eyes. No wonder she went with Mr. blonde, tall and arrogant. Even if Malfoy was rude to her, he had never hit her like that...or screamed at her for talking to someone else. Fuck.

"Nice one, Potter," Draco muttered, stalking off to grab his things for arithmancy. The moron could deal with the drama himself. /He/ had class.

**It was only an hour later when Hermione pulled out her wand, having just walked out of McGonagall's office. She was after all the new headmistress. She pointed the wand at her pendant and muttered a small spell. "Malfoy?" she asked aloud. "I know you can hear me. Don't worry about going to potions, I've spoken to the headmistress we're leaving early. Professor Snape's already been told that we wont be there...," she trailed off.**

**"So get your arse ready and be at the headmistress's office in half an hour."**

Up until this point, Draco had been absolutely silent, actually doing his class work obediently for once in his life. He normally took down good enough notes and goofed off, but he wasn't in the happiest of moods. Something about Harry's mood swings had disturbed him. How was he supposed to know who to be nasty to when Potter was being just as much of a jerk to the same people? He jumped a little, spilling his bottle of ink on the parchment he was using as she spoke. Swearing softly and dabbing it up, he sighed.

"Sounds like fun," he said flatly, in a quiet and sarcastic tone, "just let me finish this up, all right? Class still has another five minutes left." What was this? He was /asking/ her to let him finish? Hell, he should be telling her to piss off and let him do his work. Maybe seeing her injured had made him go a little soft...

**"Okay. Don't be late, oh, and thank you, about Harry...even though you didn't do it for me," she replied and then communication was cut off. She had been of course talking about defending her. She knew it was because he himself felt insulted and not because he was defending her but it was nice all the same. **

**Sighing and touching her cheek tenderly, she bit her lip. Hermione had said a spell that would cover the bruise up, but not take away the pain. She wanted to be able to show Harry what he had done if the time came around to it. Not to make him feel guilty, just so that maybe he'd see he was taking everything way out of proportion.**

"Don't thank me," he muttered, getting no reply. Whatever, she could think what she wanted. He hadn't beaten up Harry for her, well...at least he didn't think so... Class ended quickly then he would have liked and he made his way to his room nervously. Spending the weekend with Granger was bad enough, but he'd had to deal with her parents as well...

He carefully folded a few outfits and laid them in his smaller travel bag, making sure nothing would get wrinkled. Draco's idea of 'leisure clothes' were fancy slacks and silk shirts. He liked the way expensive cloth felt against his skin. Of course her parents may not understand that since they most likely weren't rich, but he didn't care. They could take him or leave him. He finished getting his things together and made it to the office two minutes before Hermione had asked him to, relieved that he wouldn't be giving her another reason to be angry with him.

**"Wow, two minutes early," Hermione grinned upon seeing him waiting outside McGonagall's office, before turning around and saying the password. Once inside the office she spoke up getting McGonagall's attention. "We're ready Professor, this is the friend I said I was bringing along," she said simply, pointing to Draco. **

**McGonagall looked up and dropped her quill, startled. "Are you sure?" she asked Hermione, who nodded. **

**"Okay then, I'll expect you both back Sunday night. Take hold of that boot there, it's a portkey to your home." **

**Hermione nodded and looked to Draco. "Ready?" she asked before placing her hand on the portkey counting to five for when it would transport them.**

"I'm a friend now?" Draco snorted, raising an eyebrow at her. McGonagall looked like she really wanted to object to him going along, given the history between them, but it was Hermione's choice and she was a smart girl. She would just have to trust that she knew what she was doing.

"You wish I was a friend," the blonde added in a mutter, nodding when he was asked if he was ready. Placing his hand reluctantly on the boot, he squeezed the handle of his travel bag tightly with the other. Bloody hell he was scared. Two days in a muggle home with nothing but his hairbrush to console him.

**Once they arrived Hermione groaned slightly rubbing her head. "I'll never like travelling by portkey," she sighed slightly before looking to Draco. "Well," she stated waving her hand towards her home. It was a comfortable size, but it obviously wasn't as large as the Malfoy manor probably was. Maybe half the size, or a little bit smaller then half. Her family was well off though. Having two parents as doctors with large paychecks really paid off... "This is my home."**

"Hmph," he murmured, glancing around curiously. There were a lot of things that he recognized from the wizarding world, but there were strange things too that he didn't recognize at all. "It's okay I suppose," he shrugged, biting his lip thoughtfully. He didn't want to admit that he'd never been to anyone's house other then Blaise's in his entire life. His parents had been very 'selective' with his friends and it wasn't considered appropriate for him to be over at Pansy's so...this was all new to him.

"Do you have house elves?" he smirked, leaning forward to peer nervously into the kitchen, "I guess not with the tirade you went on about them." It was clear enough that he wasn't comfortable in new places and he didn't know what her parents would think of some strange boy sleeping over either.

**"No, my parents are muggles. Most muggles are raised differently then wizards. We're taught from an early age to clean and care for ourselves and not have someone do it for us," she smiled at him. "If you don't understand something just ask, I know that you've never been to a muggle home before so it wont bother me," she added, leading him pass the kitchen and into the living room before reaching over and pushing a button on a intercom. "Mom... Dad? Anyone home?" she asked.**

**"Mom's at work. I'll be right down muffin just putting little Draco to sleep," came her father's voice through the intercom.**

Draco stared in surprise at the intercom and frowned. What sort of magic was that? "Little Draco?" he huffed, looking insulted, "what is he talking about? I'm not going to bed now!" This place was confusing and a little bit scary. He was isolated from everything he knew and now Granger's dad was making fun of him?

Crossing his arms grumpily, Draco glared at Hermione. Muffin? What kind of stupid name was that? Geez these people were weird.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco is my little brother, Malfoy. By some sick coincidence I happened to mention your name one time, just once, and my mother fell in love with it... So I guess you could say that my little brother is named after you," she smiled at him, pointing at the intercom and explaining what it was to him. **

**"Would you like a tour?" she asked finally.**

"Eww, you named a muggle kid after me?" Draco protested, "that's like...an invasion of name or something. I feel violated." He shuddered and glanced around, still holding tightly to his suitcase. Would he /like/ a tour? Not particularly. If he had the option, he would have stood in this one spot for the rest of the weekend and slept standing up. He wasn't sure what to expect.

"I guess a tour would be all right," the blonde said slowly, letting out a breath he had been holding. "How...old is your brother, Granger?" He had always wondered what it would be like having siblings.

**"Oh about four weeks," she smiled, "I only got to see him once before coming to Hogwarts, that's why I was allowed to come home for the weekend." Hermione looked a lot more relaxed and happier now that she was home; her smile even reached her eyes, which it hadn't done for quite a while now. "I'll show you to the guest room first so you can put your bag down," she stated leading him through the house slightly past all of the photo's hanging on the walls in the corridors. She opened a door leading into the guestroom. It was simple, but nice, with a large double bed in the middle. **

**"Just make yourself comfortable. Get changed out of the school robes or something. My room's across the hall and I'll come back out in a few moments. I want to get more comfortable too," she said, leaving him alone and going to the room across the corridor. She shut herself inside and put her bag down, starting to go through her cupboards. After pulling out a plain shirt and some track pants, she pulled them on before putting her hair up into a messy bun.**

Draco followed Hermione through her house, looking in wonder at all the photos of her and her parents all over the walls. The strange thing was that none of them moved...at all. Like they weren't even able to. He was a little jealous since his manor was probably twice the size of her home and they had barely any pictures of their family anywhere. Draco opened his mouth to comment on it when she led him into 'his' room and said she'd be right back.

"Okay...then...," he sighed, pulling off his robes. Folding them neatly, he laid the robes on the bedside table and took a pair of black slacks and a silky green button up shirt out of his bag. Maybe the green would give him the confidence he needed to face these strange people. He quickly pulled on the clothes and did a quick once over in the dresser mirror. Hmm, acceptable. A little fancy for the situation, but he didn't own anything more casual then this.

**Hermione knocked on his door a few moments later before walking in and looking him over. "That's casual?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow before shaking her head. "I'll give you a tour now," she smiled, for some weird reason being happy that she was just about to show none other then Draco Malfoy around her childhood home. **

**"I think I should like to meet him first though," came a gruff voice from behind them. Hermione let out a small squeal and turned around, jumping into the arms of her father. "Daddy!" she laughed happily. She always was and always would be a daddy's girl.**

He had only /heard/ the man's voice and Draco could already feel the blood draining from his face. He shouldn't have felt pale and nervous just meeting Granger's dad, but he was. He was scared that these people had muggle torture devices or something and that they possibly knew about his treatment of their daughter all these years. How would a parent react to meeting the person who tormented their little girl? They'd murder them...that's how.

He shifted his gaze from the floor to Hermione and her father, surprised to see that he didn't look so scary. Lucius was at least ten times more intimidating then the smiling man before him. He looked so...happy...to see his daughter at home. Hadn't they seen each other less then a month ago?

**Mr. Granger, other wise known as Will, was a large man broad shoulders and standing at around 6'2. When angry he could be very, very intimidating but alas, he very rarely got angry. Hermione took hold of his hand and pulled him the rest of the way into the room. "Daddy, this is Draco Malfoy. Draco this is my daddy, Will Granger." She smiled as she introduced them, silently pleading with her eyes for Draco to not insult him. **

**Will looked at Draco before smiling at him. "Nice to meet you son," he said, putting out his hand to shake Draco's. "I've heard a lot about you, I have to admit not all good, but I trust my daughter knows what she's doing."**

Draco stared at the man's hand for a moment as if it might bite and finally shook it firmly, looking up at the man with an unreadable expression. It wasn't quite a smile, but at least he wasn't sneering. "I can't say I've always been the nicest person to her," he agreed, not apologizing for it either. She hadn't always been very nice to him either. And at least he had been /raised/ to be a pompous ass, she had no excuse.

"Pleased to meet you though, sir," he nodded, letting his hand go back to his side a little shyly. Draco had never experienced this before. Being judged by someone who cared nothing about his last name or his 'social status'. To Mr. Granger he was just a boy who allegedly had a romantic interest in his daughter.

**"Ah well, I didn't think you could be too bad since my wife has an obsession with your name," he smiled, before sighing when crying started to sound from his hip. He pulled the baby monitor from his belt and turned it off. "I'll see you later, muffin. Draco make your self at home," he said with yet another smile before moving of to see what was wrong with his new born son. **

**Hermione looked to Draco. "See, it's not that hard to be nice."**

"I wasn't being nice," Draco huffed, "I was being civil. There's a difference. So far your father hasn't been an insufferable know-it-all like you so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt." He wandered curiously past her to the room across the hall where Mr. Granger was rocking his son gently and the crying was coming from. Draco hadn't seen such a small child before since no one he knew had a new baby. It was so little and…noisy. He wrinkled his noise slightly as he studied it, trying to decide if the boy was worthy of his name.

**The little baby's eyes opened. He had big, brown, honey coloured eyes exactly like Hermione's. As they shifted to Draco's face, little Draco let out some cute baby sounds and he stopped crying, a hand outstretching as if he was trying to clutch Draco, who was obviously to far away. Will looked towards Draco and smiled. "He seems to like you, do you want to hold him?" he asked Draco.**

**Hermione was keeping her distance, wanting to see how Draco would react.**

Draco's eyes went wide and he shook his head quickly. "I've never held one of those before," he said quickly, taking another step back as he spoke of the baby like it was some object. It had gorgeous eyes though, very familiar for some reason. As he glanced back at Hermione he realized why. Ick. Her brother had the 'Granger' eyes.

He looked nervously back to the baby again who was still cooing at him. Was that...good? It was kind of creepy the way it kept holding its arms out towards him. Why would it want him? Draco was probably the most inexperienced person on earth when it came to babies...

**Hermione rolled her eyes slightly and walked past Draco. "Can I hold him, daddy?" she asked with a smile. Will nodded and Hermione gently took him from her father, cradling the baby in her arms lovingly. "Hey little guy," she smiled before walking over to Draco. "Come on, he wont bite, you'll eventually have to hold a baby right?" she asked him, looking away from the little Draco to the elder one.**

"Why would I?" he asked nervously, realizing as soon as the question was out of his mouth that it was a stupid one. Of course eventually he was expected to have children, even if he didn't want to. He looked at Hermione with a sigh, seeing the challenging look in her eyes. If he didn't do this then he was going to look like some sort of wimp, afraid of a baby.

Maybe he was though! One wrong move and he could drop the kid on his head... "Fine," he grumbled, biting his lip, "how...do I hold him?" He had a gut feeling that this wasn't going to turn out well.

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It's not much of a 'cliffhanger' or anything, but you'll all have to wait until next chapter to see how Draco handles having a baby forced upon him! Cute! Were weren't sure what to call Hermione's little brother at first, but Jess came up with the idea that he'd accidentally been named after 'Draco' and we both loved it. Haha. Please review and let us know what you think or maybe we'll make you all wait a week for the update this time. ::grins evilly and waves goodbye to the readers:: 


	6. Awkward Dinner

A/N: Nat and Jess here, just a reminder to tell you that this is in fact a role play that we've decided to post as a story **Jess is bold** while Nat is normal.

Hello again! Everyone should be thanking x.eTak.x who gave us the one review for chapter five. ::laughs:: They are the reason we're updating. Oh well, this is more for our fun and enjoyment anyway and if someone else likes it to then it's all good. Without further delay, here's chapter six!

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Last Chapter: "Why would I?" he asked nervously, realizing as soon as the question was out of his mouth that it was a stupid one. Of course eventually he was expected to have children, even if he didn't want to. He looked at Hermione with a sigh, seeing the challenging look in her eyes. If he didn't do this then he was going to look like some sort of wimp, afraid of a baby.

Maybe he was though! One wrong move and he could drop the kid on his head... "Fine," he grumbled, biting his lip, "how...do I hold him?" He had a gut feeling that this wasn't going to turn out well.

:-:

**"See how I'm holding him?" Hermione smiled, "you have to make a cradle out of your arms and hold him towards your chest so that even if he struggles slightly he won't fall." She moved her arms slightly so she was only using one arm to hold little Draco and reached forward, moving Draco's arms into the right positions before gently handing over the baby to him.**

**Little Draco looked up at Draco, cooing happily.**

He stared down at the baby with an almost frightened expression. "He...uh...I mean, babies can't bite or anything, right?" Draco asked sheepishly, adjusting his arms so the tiny boy fit just right. It probably looked awkward since it was clear that he wasn't comfortable holding the thing. He dared to look down at the little person and as their eyes locked something strange happened inside of him.

It was like...he was warm and melting...inside. He had the sudden urge to coo and make stupid noises at the boy. Why? His body relaxed and his face softened into a smile as he watched the boy, his namesake, blowing spit bubbles. This creature was so unbelievably...adorable. Seeming to forget that both Hermione and her father were watching him, he reverently stroked a finger across the baby's soft tuff of hair on his head and examined his tiny hands, letting out a soft yelp of surprise when the small hand latched tightly to his finger and wouldn't let go. He was stuck...

**Hermione gave out a small giggle when Draco yelped. "Yes, he may bite Draco...but he has no teeth yet," she said showing him by opening the babies mouth gently. "See? All gum," she chuckled. "He likes you Draco, didn't think you'd be such a natural with babies," she smiled, looking back at her father who was grinning and gave a small nod to a silent question. **

**Hermione smiled and looked back towards the two Dracos.**

"Can I...keep holding him?" Draco asked carefully, not sure what the baby needed exactly. He liked how the little boy seemed to settle into him comfortably like Draco's arms were somehow a comforting place to be. Mini Draco fascinated him and he didn't want to give him back just yet until he figured out what was causing this weird feeling.

"If he bites me, I'm giving him back," he smirked, glancing up at the other 'Grangers'. Hermione seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. Maybe he had done something silly and embarrassed himself without knowing it. Should he just give the kid back?

**"Would you like to feed him?" she asked Draco with a smile. At his slight nod she went and took the bottle from her father, directing Draco to another seat and sitting him down. "You'll need to hold little Draco with one arm and hold the bottle to his mouth gently with the other hand," she instructed, carefully helping him hold the baby right before putting the bottle into his left hand. She guided the bottle and Draco's hand to little Draco's mouth, tilting it slightly as she let go and let Draco take over.**

Draco's attention never left the tiny boy as Hermione instructed him and he watched with his mouth open slightly as the baby began to suck happily on the bottle. "He's hungry," he whispered, looking up at Mr. Granger in amazement, "it's like he trusts me already or something..." Draco had never had anyone show such complete and utter trust in him the moment they met. This baby seemed to think that he would keep him safe. Hell, he didn't even know how!

**"Babies have a good sense of character," Hermione told him softly, taking a step back to watch with a small smile. "He doesn't like the evil babysitter across the road," Hermione muttered under her voice. Will snickered slightly at his daughter. **

**"Hermione doesn't like her old babysitter much, she always said that the old woman was a witch," he said pointedly and Hermione glared at her father playfully.**

"What would be bad about that?" Draco frowned in confusion, not getting the muggle way of thinking where being a 'witch' was just a nasty woman usually. Babies had a good sense of character did they? What did it sense about him then? That he was pathetic failure who wouldn't harm a fly? He sighed softly and rocked the little boy as his eyes started to close. Aww, now he was falling asleep. He wanted one!

"**To muggles, who don't know of the real wizarding world a 'witch' is usually some fantasy made up thing representing everything evil," she said simply, seeing Draco was mostly ignoring her for her brother anyway.**

**Just over two hours later they had moved to the lounge room. Hermione was sitting opposite Draco who was still holding little Draco. She was glaring at him since she had tried countless times to hold her brother, but Draco wouldn't let go of his name sake and that is what Hermione's mother walked in to see. She stood at the door to the lounge room with a smile on her face, watching the two teenagers glare at each other over her son. Well, Hermione was really the only one glaring. It seemed all Draco's attention was on little Draco.**

"Look! He's waking up again!" Draco said softly, smiling as the boy's eyes opened and they gazed at each other again. One touch of the baby and he was hooked. He had no idea how Hermione had pried herself away to go to school, but he never wanted to leave again.

Little Draco's eyes seemed to find their way over to Mrs. Granger though and apparently he recognized his mother since he promptly burst into tears. "No, no...shhh," Draco said in a panicked voice. It hadn't done this before with him!

**Hermione chuckled evilly when little Draco started crying. "Good boy." she chuckled under her breath. "Hello, mom!" she grinned happy, now that Draco was uncomfortable again. **

**"Hello, dear," her mother smiled in return, going over to Draco, "you must be Draco. Nice to meet you. I'll take him now, he's probably hungry again." She reached down and plucked the baby gently from Draco's arms. "I'm Jane by the way. Hermione's mother."**

Draco seemed reluctant to let the baby go, but surrendered him now that he was shrieking and crying. "Nice to meet you," he said quietly, wondering how Hermione's parents were so nice. His and Blaise's parents were cold and constantly concerned with appearance and what people thought of them. This place was so welcoming it kind of creeped him out.

At the moment, his mother yelling at him or Lucius slapping him would have been more comforting then this new environment he was still getting used to.

**The baby was happy again the instant his mother cuddled him. "You're good with kids Draco, but nothing beats being cuddled by your mother," Hermione grinned happily as her mother walked out the room and into the kitchen, getting a bottle warmed up. Hermione brought Draco into the kitchen with her wanting to talk with her parents some more. **

**"So Draco, for the past six years all we've heard about you is bad things," Jane mentioned curiously, "why the sudden change?" She looked between Draco and her daughter as she waited for an answer.**

"She talked about me for the past six years?" Draco said in surprise. Even if it was all bad things, still... He didn't expect her to go on about him. He looked at Hermione for help since he had no idea why they were supposedly 'together'. He could make up some lies, but her parents would probably see through it.

**Hermione sighed and gave a small shrug. "I guess it's a thin line between love and hate," she smiled at her parents, "to tell you the truth I wouldn't really know how to explain what happened...it just kind of did." **

**"You haven't slept together have you?" her father asked his eyes narrowing at the both of them. **

**Hermione put her hands up in her and Draco's defense. "No, no, nothing like that." **

"No, we haven't slept together," Draco choked, looking a little disgusted at the very idea. Of course, they would probably just think he was offended they had suggested it or something, when really he had no interest or desire in seeing Granger naked.

He felt his cheeks burning with embarrassment and groaned as he covered his face. Wishing they had talked about what to say when people actually confronted them about their 'relationship', Draco bit his lip worriedly.

**"Good, good," he smiled, all happy again "well you two should go get ready. Didn't I tell you that we're going out for dinner?" He let out an amused chuckle when Hermione's eyes lit up.**

**"Oohhh where are we going daddy?" she asked basically jumping from foot to foot. **

**Will tapped the side of his nose. "It's a secret muffin, make sure you dress nice though," he smiled. Hermione gave an excited nod. She could prove to Draco that she wasn't just a mudblood and a bookworm, she could dress up and be a girl too. **

"I should change as well then?" Draco asked, since he considered what he was wearing his 'casual' clothes. He had nicer things for going out and other formal events. He felt kind of bad that he was being taken out for dinner because he had been blackmailing their daughter. He couldn't even give them any money since he didn't have muggle money...

Draco glanced over at Hermione and shook his head at her excitement. He was terribly nervous and far too worried to be excited about dinner. What if he said or did something wrong?

**Will looked over at Draco before giving a small nod. "Yes, I think you should, it's a pretty dressy place that we're going to," he smiled and chuckled when Hermione ran out the room yelling something about getting ready. **

**She locked herself in her room with a smirk. Now, was her time to show Draco Malfoy up. She went over to her walk-in closet and looked through her nice clothes finally pulling out a white summer dress. It was a simple design but that's what made it all that more attractive on her tanned skin. She laid out the dress on her bed and attacked her hair putting it up...neater but it was still basically a mess. She put on the lightest touches of make up before finally getting changed into her dress then looking at her reflection. **

'**Still not as pretty as Lavender or a lot of the other girls,' she thought with a sigh, 'but better.' She smiled a little at her reflection and****looked to the clock. She had been getting ready for half an hour.**

"All right sir," he nodded respectfully, nodding to him as he left the room, going upstairs to look through his things. Being around Hermione's family was making him feel like scum for all the things he'd done to her. Her parents were so nice and welcoming, even after all the apparent 'bad things' they'd heard about him. He didn't know why he was getting a second chance to prove himself, but it was weird. Everyone was /too/ nice. It couldn't be real, could it?

"I just want someone to yell at me," Draco muttered, slipping into fancier dark colored slacks and a deep burgundy shirt that looked amazing on him. He had never liked the colour, but his mother loved it on him. Slipping on a light, fancy sort of suit jacket, Draco hoped he wasn't over doing it and sat nervously on his bed to wait for someone to come and fetch him.

**Hermione knocked on his door gently before pushing it open and taking a step inside. "Draco? Are you okay? Everyone's waiting down stairs for you," she told him with a shy sort of smile as she stood in his door way, basically glowing. White really did look good on her. She looked over him. "You look nice. I'm sure my father will approve of what you're wearing," she said with a small chuckle. **

As Hermione spoke he glanced up and felt his breath catch in his throat. That little minx had worn that on purpose just to show him up or something. He couldn't help noticing that she was kind of pretty dressed up like that, but he would never admit it out loud. "You almost look like a girl Granger, good job," he mentioned, brushing past her to go downstairs.

How was he supposed to know that they had been waiting for him? It wasn't like he felt comfortable just walking around their house anywhere he pleased...

**"Wow thanks Malfoy, that was almost a compliment," she sighed rolling her eyes. Bloody prat. **

**"Ahh, you two look great," Will smiled at the both of them, "we need photos! Get together now, really, I've never seen boyfriend and girlfriend so far apart from each other." Mr. Granger chuckled pulling out a camera, dressed similar to Draco but wearing a sky blue silk shirt underneath his jacket.**

Draco blushed as he was forced next to Hermione for pictures. His parents had never been big on pictures and hadn't fawned over him and Pansy like this. What was the big deal? Surely Hermione had brought tons of boys home before...

"Do they do this to all your boyfriends?" Draco asked, looking sheepish as they flashed the camera at them. He hadn't quite smiled yet or even touched Hermione, but they were making him feel even more shy.

**Hermione blushed embarrassed. "No, actually if this was official you would've been my first boyfriend that I've told them about," she told him softly before putting her arm around his waist. "So don't disappoint them or I'll castrate you," she growled under her voice as she smiled sweetly at the camera at the same time. **

**The girl really could be scary when she wanted to be.**

Draco swallowed hard and suddenly felt unworthy. Despite all of his bravado about being the sexiest man alive, he didn't think it was fair to Hermione that the first boyfriend she had ever brought home was him, a lie and a complete jerk.

"W-We should get going, shouldn't we?" he asked softly, hoping they wold mistake his stammer for being embarrassed at all the attention.

**"Great idea, Draco," Hermione's mother, Jane smiled as she walked through the front door. "I just dropped Draco of at the babysitters." Hermione at this point gave a small shudder. "So we're all set," she smiled, "Hermione, did you want to drive?" **

**Hermione's eye lit up. "The porsche?" she asked. **

**Will looked at her cautiously. "If you get one scratch on it missy...," he warned. **

**Hermione shook her hand waving off the threat. "I'm a careful driver Daddy," she said giving him puppy eyes. Will sighed and handed over the keys. **

Draco had only ridden in a car once before and he wasn't a huge fan of it, but he couldn't act like a big wuss now. "Wait, Hermione is driving?" he frowned, looking a little afraid now. How many times had Granger driven a car?

Stuffing his hands in his pockets to hide his worry, he followed Hermione and her family outside to the car and kept his mouth shut after that.

**"Scared, Draco?" she asked with a grin. "Don't worry, I've only crashed four cars in the last two years," she smiled brightly. Okay truthfully she hadn't crashed yet, but oh well... **

**They all climbed into the car, Jane and Draco in the back, Will in the front with his daughter, keeping an eye on his wonderful baby - the car. **

**"Daddy, I'll be fine," she sighed, "you're making me nervous." **

**Will pouted like a small child and crossed his arms over his chest and stubbornly continued to watch his daughter. Jane chuckled slightly at the exchange. "You must be wondering why Will and I aren't judging you for what we've heard about you over the last six years," she said gently to Draco as Hermione and Will got into an argument.**

"A little," Draco admitted, suddenly grabbing onto her leg in fear as the car lurched back a little. Flushing in embarrassment for what felt like the hundredth time that day, Draco snatched his hand back and rechecked his seatbelt. At the moment he was wondering why they were trusting their lives to the teenage girl in the front seat. This had to be considered suicide.

Why had they accepted him so easily though? That really didn't make any sense. They seemed to love Hermione so much so it would only make sense if they were angry towards him for making their little girl miserable over all these years.

**Jane chuckled before grabbing hold of Draco's hand. "Don't worry, mostly everyone is afraid of Hermione's driving." **

**"I heard that mum!" she exclaimed from the front in a snappish tone. **

**"My car is going to be ruined!" her father exclaimed dramatically. **

**"Oh stop complaining, daddy," she said with a laugh as they finally got out on the road. **

**Jane shook her head in amusement before looking back to Draco. "We stand behind whatever our daughter decides to do, which also includes who she dates. If she can put six years of hate behind her, we can certainly put six years of hearing about the hate behind us."**

Draco was mortified that he was sitting in a muggle car, holding hands with Granger's mother. He was never going to live this down. "I don't want to die," he groaned as Hermione slammed on the brakes at a light that was turning red. He looked up at Mrs. Granger with a frown of disbelief. They trusted in their daughter's opinion so much that they would simply forgive him? That was not something he was used to.

"Sometimes I think she still hates me," Draco mentioned, looking down at their joined hands with a red face. He wasn't sure how to reclaim his hand again without sounding rude. Of course Hermione hated him. It was mutual.

**Jane could some how sense that he was uncomfortable and let go of his hand. "If she hated you Draco, you would know. She would have not let you into her home not matter the circumstance," Jane said with a small smile as she looked at him. **

**"HERMIONE WATCH OUT FOR THE PEOPLE!" came Will's alarmed voice. **

**"What people?!" Hermione said just as alarmed as she slammed her foot down on the breaks, causing everyone in the car to go forward. It appeared that Draco had found something Hermione wasn't good at.**

Draco let out a squeak and buried his face in Mrs. Granger's shoulder, refusing to come out from there until they were at their destination. He'd had more then enough of Hermione's driving to last him a lifetime. What she said did kind of make sense, but why /wouldn't/ Hermione hate him? She had every right to and it didn't make any sense for her the like him even in the tiniest bit.

When he finally felt the car stop and the engine turn off, he dared to peek out from the woman's shoulder. "Is it safe?" he asked meekly, pale and a little shaky.

**Hermione was looking into the back seat glaring at him. "No it's not, you can expect large amounts of pain in the near future," she said blankly looking at him. "My driving is not that scary." **

**"Hermione dear, I believe your father's fainted," Jane chuckled and Hermione gasped and looked to her father. **

**"Again?" she asked shaking him. "Daddy wake up...really I'm not that bad am I?" she asked her eyes wide and pouting as she looked at her mother.**

"I think I should drive on the way home," Draco muttered, "I've never tried and I can already pretty much guarantee that I won't be so terrible." He smirked at Hermione, looking more like his old self now that the car was no longer moving. Maybe he'd try if they'd let him. How hard could it be? You just pushed a gas pedal and went...right?

The threats of pain were nothing compared to the fear Draco felt being in the same car as Granger. He wanted out. Now.

**"You've never tried?" Will asked him cautiously now that he was awake, "well then. We'll just have to let you drive to prove that you may very well be a better driver then our 'Mione." **

**Hermione pouted more and crossed her arms in annoyance. "Never," she said stubbornly. **

**Jane chuckled. "Okay, okay. We'll miss our reservations,. Out the car everyone." Jane smiled as Will got out the car and went to her door, opening it for her and taking her hand helping her out the car. **

**On the other side however, Hermione yanked open Draco's door. "Get out." **

Draco rolled his eyes and scrambled out in relief. "Remind me to bring my helmet and body armor next time we go driving," he snickered, walking a head to have the protection of her parents. She'd have to somewhat behave where they could see.

It wasn't so hard to pretend that he was a nicer person then he really was when there were no Lucius or Narcissa around to keep him in line or Slytherin friends waiting to disprove of everything he did. Here it was sort of safe to just relax and act as though Hermione and him didn't want to strangle each other.

**Hermione went up behind him and slapped the back of his head. Will looked over his shoulder at them just afterwards and Hermione smiled innocently. "Hello daddy, so where are we going? We've never been here before." she said looking at the place in excitement. **

**Will chuckled. "This is the place I proposed to your mother," Will informed her. **

**"Oohhh we're at Antonio's?" she asked, leaning over to whisper to Draco, though she still peeved with him. "This is one of the fanciest places in Britain. Muggle places anyway." **

**Jane chuckled. "That's the place." **

"I could not eat," Draco whispered back, looking guiltier now that he knew it was some expensive place. If he pretended not to feel well then they couldn't force him to eat, could they? Going hungry seemed better then wasted all Granger's family's money on him. Draco was suddenly curious about this family. They seemed so happy and proud of each other. How did someone achieve that?

"How...did you meet?" he asked his 'girlfriend's' parents with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Maybe if he knew then he'd know how to get that happiness for himself.

**Jane chuckled slightly. "We should save that story for when we're all sitting and waiting for our dinner to arrive," she told him. "We need to do something to pass the time," she smiled at Draco. **

**So eventually, they had all been seated in a balcony room that gave them a view over the back yard that was filled with fountains and a wonderful garden. Hermione was looking at it intently. "It's beautiful," she breathed, the soft lamplight of restaurant making everything kind of romantic. **

**"That it is," Will agreed, "see the fountain over there? The highest one? That's where I proposed to your mother." **

**Jane giggled. "And that's also where we got soaked, it seemed that the fountain was so overwhelmed that I said 'yes' that it decided to break."**

"You were in the fountain /here/ and broke it?" Draco repeated with wide eyes. The restaurant must have been furious. It sounded kind of fun though to have that kind of freedom.

He agreed wholeheartedly that this place was beautiful and continually looked around at everything that was happening. There was a small dance floor outdoors with live music and a few couples were dancing wonderfully. It was no wonder Mr. Granger had chosen this place to propose. It was the epitome of romance.

**A waiter came a few moments later, and once they had all ordered dinner Jane spoke to Draco once again. "So, Draco you wanted to know how we met?" she asked him with a smile. **

**"Well we actually met when we were thirteen, we went to the same school...actually it's a lot like you and Hermione. Will was the one always getting into trouble and I was the one that couldn't stand him and always did my work on time. I think Hermione takes after both of us," she said, looking towards her daughter who was smiling innocently. **

**"Anyway, we always argued," Will continued, "right up till the day that I kissed her because she wouldn't shut up." He chuckled and kissed his wife's cheek fondly. **

Draco smiled a little as they told the story together, leaning his chin on his hand. "You're lucky to be so happy," he mentioned, thinking of his own parents' arranged marriage. Narcissa seemed devoted enough to her husband, but did she really love Lucius? He knew father sometimes went on longer 'business' trips then he needed to, to meet up with lady friends. He had never told his mother that though.

Was he doomed to be alone until he was arranged with some rich, brainless, pureblood tart and stuck with her for the rest of his life? Why did it have to be that way? He sighed and picked at the little bit of salad he had left. Hermione's parents were luckier then they probably realized.

**"Anyone can be happy if they put their fears behind them and reach for it," Jane smiled at him. "You see, my relationship with Will was forbidden by my parents. My family has always been rich and believed that I should marry someone of the same status."**

**"Gee, this sounds familiar," Hermione said dryly, looking to Draco. **

"Does it?" he raised his eyebrows, acting as though he had no idea what she was talking about, "I don't think I know anyone in that situation." Maybe if they both /wanted/ to be together then it would be different, because he knew that Lucius wouldn't approve at all. He especially hated Hermione for personal reason so it would be scary telling him...

"Sometimes people have to obey their parents though, since they know what's best for them," Draco said softly, looking down at his fork as it poked soggy lettuce.

**"Of course there isn't anyone - oh never mind," she grumped, he totally missed the point. She was just trying to say that he didn't have to follow the orders of his parents. **

**Jane gave Draco a small smile. "Yes, that is true sometimes, but in the matter of love and happiness sometimes the parents just don't have the best interest for their children at heart, but themselves," she told him softly.**

"I'm sorry, but I would never speak against my parents or disobey them," Draco said uncomfortably, not meeting any of their gazes. He knew that in a way Mrs. Granger's words were true, but there was nothing he could he could do about it.

Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, he sighed and wished that he hadn't brought it up in the first place.

**Jane blinked in surprise. "I wasn't telling you to dear, I was just telling you of my own circumstances. But I couldn't be happier that I decided to follow my own way instead of a way that was chosen for me. I wouldn't have wished the same life upon my own children and if I had stayed they would've been raised exactly like I was." **

**"Ah, here comes our food," Will smiled, changing the subject quickly since he could tell that Draco was uncomfortable. **

Draco thanked the waiter softly as his meal was set in front of him and glanced at Hermione's food. Hold on a minute, did she order the same thing? "You always copy me for food," he smirked, "and you said I have bad taste." Wow, was that a joke? Directed at Granger? He really needed to get out of this place. His brain was starting to be affected.

**"When ever did I say you had bad taste?" she retorted with a chuckle before catching on. "Hey, I ordered before you don't you realize?" she said with a frown before poking her tongue out at him like a little kid, her parents chuckling in the background. **

**"Oh!" Will said his eyes lighting up as he pulled out the camera again, as if he planned to keep taking pictures until they were properly humiliated. **

**"Lets get a shot of you two having a cute little kiss," Will grinned. Hermione very casually...started to choke on her food.**

Draco looked at Mr. Granger like he had just asked him to jump off the roof. KISS Granger?! Hell would have to freeze over before he ever did /that/. Glancing to Hermione and around the restaurant for any kind of escape route, he realized he had run out of ideas. No, wait!

"I have to use the bathroom," Draco said quickly, shoving back his chair and dashing off towards the sign. Ha! They couldn't make him kiss her if he wasn't there. What would ever possess a parent to take so many embarrassing bloody photos?

**Will quickly jumped up grabbing the back of his shirt. "Ah, ah," he chuckled, "she is your girlfriend after all isn't she? You can't escape that easily Draco." He laughed, but it probably sounded like an evil laugh from the two teenagers prospective. **

**"Daddy!" Hermione said desperately, "that's so embarrassing! There are so many people in here, not to mention you two. I can't kiss him in front of you two." **

**"Oh don't be silly dear, of course you can," Jane chuckled.**

People were watching them now as Draco stammered a few excuses, trying to escape even as he was dragged back to the table and seated next to Hermione again.

"Granger, help!" he whispered under his breath, terrified at the idea of having to kiss her. "You both don't really want to see us kiss...do you?" Draco whispered, blushing since quite a few adults were chuckling now at the sight.

**"Daddy!" Hermione exclaimed her eyes still very, very wide. "You're evil!" she exclaimed, sulking and trying to put the guilt trip on her parents. "We haven't been dating that long and, and," she blushed, pausing. "While we have kissed," she lied easily, "we've never kissed in front of other people and I'm sure Draco doesn't want to start with you two watching." **

**"He'll get over it," Will said simply.**

Draco tried to sink down into his seat as he looked to Hermione's mom for any sympathy or help. Why were they torturing them like this? Adults sure had a twisted idea of 'fun'. He could tell that others around them thought it was adorable that he was being shy and that made it even worse. He wasn't shy...bloody hell...he'd never kissed Granger before and he'd never wanted to!

He sat up suddenly and crammed a huge bite of food into his mouth, chewing slowly. "Mmm, good food here," he commented hopefully.

**Will laughed. "You sure are a funny one Draco - nice try, but the more you struggle the more people that will be watching," he pointed out to the crowd as more people turned and some even cheered. **

**"If I ever get married father I'm going to elope and never inform you of it," Hermione muttered to him darkly, while Will just chuckled. **

**"Come on dears, the quicker you do it the quicker it will be over." Jane smiled.**

**Hermione swallowed hard and glanced around, looking back to Draco. What could they do?**

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Mwahahaha! Will they give in to the pressure and kiss?! Who knows. You'll have to wait until next chapter to see. ::grins evilly:: This time, we'll be waiting for five reviews for this chapter before we update, so it's all up to you guys how fast chapter seven comes. Let us know what you think and this chapter was kind of silly and fun, so forgive us. More serious plot twists are on the way very soon. Who knows…maybe even a little shirtless Draco… ::winks:: Thank you to those who reviewed and I hope you enjoyed the chapter everyone! 


	7. Problems

Wow! Thank you all for the reviews! We were really beginning to think we sucked with the way that we had over two thousand hits and like six reviews. Who knows, maybe we do suck. ::laughs:: But again, thank you for the lovely responses and we hope this chapter was worth the two day wait. XD Here it is, the moment of truth. Will they kiss?! Read and find out.

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Last Chapter: **Will laughed. "You sure are a funny one Draco - nice try, but the more you struggle the more people that will be watching," he pointed out to the crowd as more people turned and some even cheered. **

**"If I ever get married father I'm going to elope and never inform you of it," Hermione muttered to him darkly, while Will just chuckled. **

**"Come on dears, the quicker you do it the quicker it will be over." Jane smiled.**

**Hermione swallowed hard and glanced around, looking back to Draco. What could they do?**

:-:

Draco looked at Hermione helplessly, still chewing. There really didn't seem to be any way to get out of kissing Granger… "What if I said I don't want to?" Draco asked softly, his entire face bright red now. It was making him a little angry that they were so pushy about it. A kiss was supposed to be something spontaneous and fun, not forced in front of parents. And even if he /had/ wanted to kiss Granger, which he didn't, he wouldn't want their first kiss to be like this...

Sighing, Draco felt like an arse. Here he was enjoying the Granger's hospitality and he just told them that he didn't want to kiss their daughter. Looking over at Hermione again, he waited for any sign that she was hurt by his question.

**She was a little stung that he would say that, but it was to be expected wouldn't it she was just a lowly mudblood and he was a high class pureblood. She was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin. She was mostly innocent...and he…was just an arse. "I need to use the bathroom." she mumbled, her eyes down cast as she walked away. Will, seeing the expression on his daughters face let her go. **

**Jane gave a small sigh and stood up, following her daughter into the bathroom. **

"Hermione, wait," Draco called, hurrying after both women with a muttered curse. "I'm sorry, I was just nervous with all the people watching...," he lied quickly, still making it seem like they were dating, "you know I don't do well in crowds...or with pictures..." He really didn't. Quiet and discreet was what he liked best when he was out, not to be the center of attention.

In fact, the only time he preferred attention on himself was at school when he was tormenting the golden trio. Clearing his throat nervously, Draco reached out a hand and touched Hermione's cheek gently, surprised to find it as silky and soft as his shirt. "Don't be upset with me..." At this point he wasn't sure if he was acting anymore.

**Jane looked at the two of them before walking away letting them have some space. Hermione looked towards Draco. "I don't know if you mean that or you're acting it but I'm going to reply," she told him softly, slightly surprised at his touch to her cheek. **

**"You've always insulted me Draco. I try to pretend that it doesn't hurt...but it does. Your insults get to me and I can't help that. It's like you have a personal mission in life to make me miserable. Am I really that bad?" **

Draco's eyes grew wide as she spilled out her heart, admitting for the first time that the things he said really did hurt her. He had assumed and that's what he had tried for, but she had always acted as though nothing he said mattered. It was infuriating. "You haven't always been the nicest girl in the world either," he said softly, avoiding her question. How could he answer that?

He lowered his hand from her face and sighed. Of course no one was really as revolting or disgusting as he told her she was, but if he said anything otherwise then he'd have to admit that she was actually one of the more appealing girls in their year. And he didn't want to do that.

**"I didn't do anything until you called me mudblood for the first time in third year," she replied softly looking down at the floor, "before that I always stayed in the background or tried to get Harry and Ron to leave you alone..." She shook her head lightly. "It's not important anymore. I've grown up and there are more important things now then someone that insults me... Like the amount of lives that will be lost because of Voldemort's greed and evil." **

**Sweeping an arm across the room, Hermione bit her lip with a worried expression. "Look at all the people. All the families and couples in this room, Draco, including me and my parents. If Voldemort gets his way, we'll all be dead, or slaves, either or," she told him softly before going into the bathroom without another word.**

Draco crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the wall as he waited for Hermione to come back from the bathroom. He knew that out of the corner of his eye Mr. Granger was still watching for any photo opportunities and wondered if maybe he preferred the cold personalities of his family after all. At least he was allowed to keep things to himself and lead a more private life. But could he live with knowing that the information he shared with the dark lord resulted in the deaths or enslavement of everyone in the order? On the side of good?

He gazed around the room with a heavy heart and watched the laughing people enjoying their dinners. He knew the answer. He couldn't. Draco Malfoy was a failure and a disappointment. As he lifted his gaze again, Hermione emerged from the bathroom, looking none to impressed that he had waited for her.

Before she could yell at him or make him feel even more lower then dirt, Draco took her hand in his and pulled her in close, kissing her lips so softly that he wasn't entirely sure they were touching. His hands trembled as the camera in Mr. Granger's hands flashed and he pulled away then, running back to the table.

**Hermione's eyes widened as she felt Draco's lips touch her own. Was this really happening?! She could faintly see the flash of her father's camera but the rest of her attention was completely on Draco. When he ran back to the table her fingers went up and touched her lips softly. Had...that really happened? She stood there, stunned, for a moment and eventually let her hand drop and walked back to the table, taking her seat again. **

**...wow.**

**Ron's kisses had never felt that good...**

"That's more like it," her dad smiled cheerfully, eating his dinner with a newfound passion. Apparently snapping embarrassing pictures of his daughter put him in a good mood.

Draco sighed and ate his food quietly, starting to wonder if this was just one big, horrible, evil nightmare. What would ever possess him to kiss Hermione? Maybe it was like the story of her parents. He had just wanted to shut her and everyone else up. Finally they would stop being harassed. Still, he couldn't help but feel that a small part of him had just wanted to kiss her.

**"Daddy can we go home now?" she asked him softly when everyone had finished their dinner. Will studied his daughter for a few moments before giving a small nod. "Sure muffin," he said with a small smile, petting the top of her head, "but I'm surprised you're skipping dessert. That's a first." Winking at her, he grinned and went to pay the bill. **

**"Don't forget Will, you said Draco could drive on the way home," Jane smiled when her husband came back.**

Draco's head came up nervously at the mention of his name. What did he do wrong now? "Oh...," he nodded as his brain registered the words, "yes, I'll still drive if you aren't too afraid to let me..." He was a little spaced out still, thinking a lot. Some of the things Hermione had said were hitting him like a punch in the gut. He'd never thought to question his orders before but...he was starting to think that maybe he should.

**Will narrowed his eyes at Draco. "Love," he said to Jane, "his mind seems to be elsewhere at the moment. He might crash my car...he may even be a worse driver then Hermione…," he said in concern. **

**"Of course he's a worse driver then me," Hermione stated absentmindedly, her thoughts still on the fact that Draco Malfoy had just kissed her. She didn't know if she should take it as a compliment or as some kind of insult and kill him, or just hurt him a lot.**

"I'm fine to drive, really," Draco shook his head, actually a little eager to get behind the wheel. It wasn't every day, well any day really, that he got a chance to drive a muggle car. When Hermione wasn't the driver, they actually kind of looked like fun.

He stood and gave them a small smile, "please?" Draco would should that stupid smug witch. He could be a better driver then her with his eyes closed and a hand tied behind his back.

**"What's happening?" Hermione asked finally snapping out of it. **

**Will looked at his daughter with a raised eyebrow as Jane chuckled slightly. "Draco here just announced that he's pregnant," Will replied with a straight face and Hermione looked puzzled. **

**"Really?" she asked, "but that's not possible." She frowned in confusion, really sounding stupid at the moment. **

**"I love it when you're not listening sweetheart, you really have no idea what's going on or how silly you sound," Will chuckled.**

"We're going now," Draco corrected, "and I'm not pregnant, thank you." He ran a hand over his flat stomach and shot Mr. Granger a glare. That had better not be a joke about his physique.

Excitement built up inside of him, momentarily putting all his worries and other thoughts on hold. Right now, he wanted to drive. He accepted the keys with a grin and got in the driver's seat, having absolutely no idea how to work a car. This was going to be fun!

**"Draco," Hermione said, leaning over the belt around her stomach so she was sitting in the middle of the car. "You do know how to start the car don't you?" she asked him curiously as she looked at him. "Daddy," she said looking towards her father, who was in the front passenger seat again, "there is no way Draco can be better then me. Driving here was probably his first time /in/ a car." **

"Second time, thank you very much," he sniffed in his usual arrogant tone, still holding the keys as he examined the steering wheel and dashboard, "now where do I plug this in..." He bit his lip, frowning thoughtfully as he honestly tried his best to figure it out.

Mrs. Granger finally took pity on him and leaned into the front, putting the key in the ignition. "Just turn it and the car will start." He obeyed and the engine roared to life. Mr. Granger seemed rather unhappy that now there was another large chance of his 'baby' being crashed and Draco took a deep breath, actually remembering to put down the emergency break from watching Hermione.

He turned to look out the back window and backed easily down the driveway and turned to go out of the parking lot. Everything seemed pretty basic, but he had to ask how to turn on the headlights as he moved smoothly along the long stretch of road. "Is...this all right?" he asked worriedly. Maybe he was doing it all wrong.

**"Yes...yes it's all right," Will said, wide eyed. **

**Hermione glared at Draco before sitting back with a 'hmph' of annoyance, crossing her arms and putting her nose stubbornly into the air. "Show off," she said under her breath as Jane chuckled.**

**"Come on, sweety, look how good your boyfriend is at driving," Will smiled, "and it's only his second time in a car." **

**Hermione glared at the back of Draco's head. "Yeah, yeah."**

Draco assumed by Hermione's annoyance that he was doing much better then she ever had. He smirked a little and realized that he had no idea where he was going. "Uh, am I supposed to...turn anywhere or something?" he asked quietly, looking embarrassed again. How was he supposed to know though? He didn't live here.

**"Turn left," Hermione said before getting scolded by her mother gently. Hermione pouted and looked away again. **

**"Turn right Draco," she told him with a smile, "you're doing really well." Hermione seemed to sink even further into her seat in a grumpy fashion as her mother complimented Draco.**

**Once they reached home Hermione got out the car, taking the keys and opening the door. Heading towards the stairs, she hung the keys up on the way and walked into her room. A loud 'slam' resounded through the house a moment later. Stupid Malfoy.**

"Thank you Mrs. Granger," Draco smiled a little, feeling himself beam at the compliment. He was used to hearing everything he was doing wrong. His father liked to point out all the bad and never mention or praise the good. He sighed a little and once they were parked he watched Hermione stalk away. Her parents chuckled and went to retrieve the keys to go pick up the baby, leaving Draco alone.

He slowly entered the house and went to sit on the couch. This had to be the most awkward and eventful trip he'd ever taken.

**On the coffee table in the lounge room was whole stacks of loose photos. Jane had gotten them out before they had gone for dinner to show Draco later on. They were all photos of Hermione growing up and their family as well as her and her friends from Hogwarts. Some of them would moved, though most of them didn't. The ones of her and Harry and Ron moved, even a few with her and her parents. The newest one that moved, however, was one with Hermione holding little Draco in the hospital and both of the parents looking down at their children proudly and with love. **

Draco sifted through the pictures delicately, looking around as if he was afraid of being caught. Most of them were of Hermione in one place or another, one of her being hugged by a giant rabbit. Strange strange muggles. That last one that included her new brother caught his eye since it was moving.

Lifting it from the pile, he watched the family smile at each other and gaze at the baby and then smile at each other again for a full ten minutes before he threw it down in disgust and moved into the kitchen, wiping at his eyes.

**Hermione laid down on her bed now in her pj's as she looked up at the ceiling in thought. Draco Malfoy had kissed her...she couldn't believe that she was still thinking about that. She sighed and stood up, walking to the body length mirror and taking a good look at herself. She couldn't see why anybody would be attracted to her. She didn't exactly wear clothes that made her look attractive either. Right now she was wearing pants with pig patterns on them with a pink singlet. **

**She snorted at herself in disgust and went to her draws looking for something else. Finally she pulled out a red silk nightgown that she had never worn before. She changed into that and went back to her reflection...it didn't make any difference in her eyes. **

**Harry sighed as he walked up to the Granger's door. Should he knock? He wanted to say sorry to Hermione but he wasn't sure if he should interrupt her weekend. Shaking his head and taking a step back, Harry knew he shouldn't do this. He should just leave them alone**

Draco searched through the cupboards until he found a glass and poured himself a glass of water, just needing something to distract his mind from its currently depressing thoughts. He tripped over a cat dish though as he went to move and a large amount of water dumped down his front before the glass fell from his hand and shattered. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed, not able to catch his balance in time and still needing to put his hand down on the floor to stop from falling. A bit of glass cut him, but he just glared down and whipped out his wand, cleaning the floor spotless with one flick and swish. Oh no!

Suddenly remembering the spill, Draco tore off his over jacket and pulled the silk shirt over his head. Any liquid would ruin his glorious shirt and he needed to get it dry now! He looked around in a panic and went to ask Hermione for help since it was a life or death situation when a knock came at the door. He supposed her parents had their hands full and went to pull it open, laying his shirt carefully on the coffee table.

**It was too late now. For some stupid bloody reason he had knocked. He ringed his hands nervously as he waited for someone to answer the door and his jaw dropped open however, when a topless Draco answered the door. "MALFOY?" he yelled in surprise as he took in the other guy's half /naked/ appearance. And he was in Hermione's house…**

**"Hey what's happening here? Who's at the door, Draco?" she asked coming up beside him. "Oh Harry! Hey!" she said suddenly very aware of what she was wearing.**

"Potter?" Draco frowned, raising an eyebrow at the nervous looking boy. Why was /he/ here? He crossed his arms over his chest since Harry seemed to be taking a lot of time to stare at it. "Can I help you?"

He glanced beside him at the sound of Hermione's voice and felt his cheeks go red as he looked away. "You might want to put on some clothes now that Pervert Potter is here," he mentioned, refusing to look at her again. Was she really planning on wearing that when her parents were around?!

**Hermione followed Harry's eyes to Draco's bare chest and blushed slightly. "I think he's perving on you more then me," she muttered. Wow, quidditch had done Draco good…but Harry and Ron didn't look like that…wait no, not the time to think about that. She looked back towards Harry when it clicked - she was in 'sexy' nightclothes and Draco was only wearing pants. Her eyes widened. "This isn't what it looks like," she said quickly. **

**Harry snorted. "It looks like a lot to me." **

"Seriously Potter, stop looking at me like that," Draco demanded, "you're really starting to creep me out." If Harry's eyes drifted to his chest one more time he was running for the nearest shirt. He kept his arms around himself to hide most of his bareness, still not catching on to what Harry thought was happening.

"What are you two on about now? Bloody hell, Potter, why are you even here?" Draco looked about ready to slam the door in the other boy's face if he didn't say something relevant sometime soon.

**"Well I came to say sorry to Hermione - but apparently you're already comforting her and she doesn't need my apology," he snapped turning to walk away. **

**Hermione stepped out quickly grabbing hold of Harry's arm. "Please don't do this, It really isn't what you think...I was about to go to bed...as for Draco," she said looking over her shoulder, "I really don't know why he has no shirt on." **

**Harry tore his arm from Hermione's grip, turning around and looking at Hermione. He paused, still stunned at her attire. This girl really had no idea how she effected people…she couldn't go running around in that little slip of a thing! He blushed slightly looking away, having the same reaction as Draco. "Do you always sleep in seductive clothing?"**

"I spilled water on my silk," Draco said, suddenly realizing what Harry was implying, "it's on the coffee table and probably going to be stained thanks to you. I even cut my hand on the bloody glass. He glanced down at his hand that was bleeding a lot more then he originally thought. "Whoops, hold on." He looked around for a towel or something and finally just ignored it again.

"Yes, and I'm curious also Hermione. Why /do/ you sleep in that?" He raised his eyebrows, wondering what she had been planning for their evening. By the looks of it she thought a kiss meant a lot more then just 'let's shut the parents up'.

**Hermione rolled her eyes quickly thinking up a plausible excuse. "My sheets are silk, my nightgown is silk, I like the feel of silk obviously," she said with a shrug. "But why are you both so interested in what I wear? Weren't we discussing something a little more important here? Like, oh I don't know, the fact that I'm not shagging Draco Malfoy, that you wanted to apologize and that I'm sick of fighting with my best friend? You're like my big brother Harry...even though you're younger then me. I need you...just...not in the way you want," she sighed softly getting a downcast look.**

Draco smirked as she said she liked the feel of silk. He had never taken her for a girl with expensive tastes. Interesting... He took a step back as Harry moved forward to tackle Hermione in a hug and glared at the boy. What gave him the right to hug her? Stupid arse. What was with these people where an apology was all you needed to be forgiven?

"I am sorry, Hermione," Harry whispered, holding her close just as Hermione's parents were coming in the door with the baby and very confused expressions.

**"Harry," she said softly trying to push him away. "HARRY!" she exclaimed, shoving him away this time as her father came forward and as well and slugged Harry in the face. Really only one thing could've made Will do that, and that was if he saw Harry touching his daughter in a way he didn't like. **

**"You're a prick! I can't believe you!" she said outraged to Harry as she took hold of her father's hand so he wouldn't hit Harry again. "Get out of my house!" **

Draco let out a 'meep' and got out of the way, not in the mood for being punched again by anyone. Harry getting in a sucker punch earlier had been bad enough. Strangely though, he didn't feel any satisfaction at seeing his enemy being hit. He kind of felt sorry for him. If only he hadn't let his hands wander...

Draco eyed up the curly haired girl while no one was looking and wondered if he would have been able to keep his hands to himself if he was hugging her in that getup. Probably...maybe...not...

Harry held his face with a pained groan, trying to go back to Hermione again. "N-No, please, I'm sorry. Hermione don't make me go..."

**"Get away from me, Potter," she snarled at him, "you've crossed the line." She accepted her father's offered jacket and wrapped it around herself as she stalked back into the house, pushing past Draco with tears threatening to spill out her eyes. How could he? Why would he? She shivered slightly at the memory. While his hands hadn't felt bad...they had creeped her out...it was Harry for merlin's sake. Her best friend and basically her brother...it was like...incest.**

**Okay so not really. But the point was put across and Harry had no right to grope her.**

Harry sank to his knees in the living room, looking more miserable then Draco had ever seen him before. It was his own fault though so Draco wasn't going to say anything. Hell, and since when would he /ever/ defend Potter? Turning to try and salvage his shirt, he left Potter at the mercy of Hermione's angry parents and made a mental note to never grope her in front of them.

**Hermione hadn't exactly stalked to her bedroom though and from her hiding spot she watched Draco out of the corner of her eye. "Here," she said, coming out to him. "I can fix it, I always spill things on my silk," she told him softly taking his shirt and walking towards her bedroom with a down cast face. **

**Life was crap.**

"Thanks," he called after her with a surprised expression. First she was getting upset when he said he didn't want to kiss her and now she was fixing his shirts? What had come over Granger? He watched her leave with a frown and shook his head, heading up the stairs a little dizzily. What was all that red running down his arm? Pulling out the piece of glass he finally noticed embedded in his palm, Draco staggered as more blood gushed from the deep wound. He had never been very good with blood...

A moment later a solid 'thud' sounded as he faint and fell back down the bottom few steps.

**Hermione jumped when she heard the thud and put the shirt aside quickly, coming out to see what had caused it. She paled considerably seeing Draco out cold at the bottom of the stairs as all the things that could be wrong came to mind. She quickly ran down the stairs two at a time and fell to her knees, calling for her parents as she tried to see what the problem was. **

**That was when she saw the blood. "Daddy! He's bleeding! A LOT!" she said panicked to her father who had just come running in to her yells. **

**Will looked him over in concern. "He seems to be all right but we'll take him to the hospital just in case. Hermione go get a towel and wrap his hand." Hermione nodded and did as she was told running off and getting a towel. She carefully wrapped it around Draco's hand, putting pressure onto it as Will lifted Draco up and walked him to the car with Hermione close behind. **

**So thus, four hours later, Will had gone off to get some coffee while Hermione sat at Draco's side in the hospital bed. Jane had stayed home with little Draco.**

The nurse had assured Hermione that although Draco fainted, he would quite all right. The shock of losing quite a bit blood combined with seeing the blood had made his body black out. The thing was, he was supposed to have woken up an hour ago.

A soft groan came from Draco's lips as he stirred slightly, shifting in the bed. He could hear strange beeping around him and his hand and head ached something fierce. Eventually he managed to open his eyes and squinted in the bright light of the room. What was going on?

**Hermione instantly stood and looked down at Draco when he groaned and started to move. "Finally!" she exclaimed to him as she looked at him, chuckling slightly. "You gave me quite a fright when I heard you fall down the stairs," she told him. A smirk appeared on her lips as she tried not to grin at him.**

**"Never would have taken you one to not like the sight of blood..."**

"Hmm, what?" he murmured, blinking a few times as Hermione came in to focus. What was /she/ doing here? "Granger, get out of my room," he grumbled, "I don't need supervision while I'm sleeping." And why was his chest bare?

His eyes opened a little wider as he suddenly remembered Harry's visit and the broken glass and...the blood. What had happened? The last thing he could think of was walking up the stairs...and then nothing. "Where am I?"

**"The muggle hospital, so apparently you do need supervision," she chuckled, sitting back down in a lot better mood now that Draco was awake...though thankfully he didn't know that she had been fretting and worried when he had been out cold. So as far as he knew, she had been this happy the whole time. She was still however wearing her nightgown and fathers coat. "And if you must know, I'm only in here because people where staring at me out there..." she mumbled as she pulled the nightgown down lower on her legs before sighing. **

**"You lost a lot of blood from that cut, as well as being a big wuss and not being able to look at it. You blacked out and fell down a few stairs."**

"I fell down some stairs?" he repeated, groaning again. Why did he have to do that in front of Granger? "I guess you know now why I don't make a very good cold-blooded killer," he whispered, closing his eyes as he laid back against the pillow again. Just one more reason for him to be considered a failure.

He didn't know why Hermione was waiting with him, even if she was hiding in the room to avoid stares at her attire. Couldn't her dad have stayed? "How come you waited here?" he asked softly, his eyes still closed.

**"Couldn't have you die from the shock of seeing blood – that would be a very embarrassing death for such a self-centered person," she chuckled softly, rolling her eyes and sitting back.**

**"And personally, I think it's great that you don't make a very good cold-blooded killer, they're usually sick bastards anyway," she said almost casually as she gave a small yawn. **

**"And…I was worried."**

"Worried?" Draco repeated again, starting to sound like a broken record, "what were you worried for? I would think you'd rejoice the day I died." He snorted quietly as though he didn't believe she actually cared. "And...did they say when I can go?" He sat up slowly, the sheet slipping from his bare torso as he yawned and rubbed his eyes.

**Hermione blushed slightly looking away from his chest, which on a side note was still a lot better then Ron or Harry's. "Why would I do that? The only person I want to die is Voldemort," she said keeping her eyes very firmly on his face...and not on his chest. Damn him. She wanted to chuck a shirt at him and demand that he put it on...though she sort of lacked a shirt to throw.**

**"And they said you can go as soon as you're ready and my father comes back from his two hour coffee break," she stated, "I think he may have got lost. He never did like hospitals."**

"I always though you wanted me dead," Draco smirked, sliding his legs over the side of the bed. It seemed that he planned to leave with or without the permission of the doctors. And if she was right in saying that her dad was lost, then they had to find him or they'd never leave.

"Coming Granger?" he asked, pausing at the door to look back at her. He probably looked strange in nothing but his fancy slacks, but despite the dizziness, he was ready to go.

**"You can't go walking about with no shirt," she protested standing up and walking over to him. Merlin...even his back was good looking. She mentally slapped herself in annoyance that briefly showed over face before she put it aside. "I'll go get you a shirt. Can you /at least/ wait until then?" she asked him as she moved in between him and the door with a pleading look. **

**She really didn't want him to walk around with no shirt on or soon she'd be the one fainting.**

"What do I need a shirt for?" he frowned, looking down at himself, "I didn't think I was /that/ terrible to look at." Moving through the doorway before Hermione could stop him, he had to brush up against her briefly and then he was free.

"Hmm, if I was a muggle in search of coffee, where would I be?" the blonde Slytherin muttered thoughtfully, glancing both ways down the hall. As he looked, he tried to smooth his hair down a little since it was all messy and in his eyes. It only he had a little gel...

"**Quite the opposite," she muttered under her voice after he had brushed past her. **

**"Malfoy," she tried again following after him, jumping suddenly at the loud squeal of a girl around her age. She had just dropped a whole heap of coffee on the floor and was now standing in front of Draco as she stared at him. "This is why you need a shirt," Hermione sighed rolling her eyes at the other girl.**

"Are you all right?" he asked, bending down to help her clean up the mess. The girl nodded quickly and blushed, trying to mop up the mess with paper towels without actually looking at Draco. The blonde didn't seem to notice her occasional glances at him as he took some of the soggy papers to the garbage can and came back again.

"I don't see how my shirtlessness has anything to do with scaring someone, Granger," he pointed out, apologizing again to the girl as they moved on.

**Hermione rubbed her temples. "I seriously don't know how you can be smart and stupid at the same time!" she exclaimed. "She wasn't scared Malfoy, she was staring at your chest the whole time," Hermione told him with a sigh, "really, it couldn't have been more obvious." **

**Though she had to admit, in a way she was slightly jealous. Draco had been pretty nice to the girl. He was never kind or caring to her, that's for sure.**

**"Daddy!" She exclaimed pushing past Draco as she walked up to Will who turned around and let out a relieved breath. "I swear, they design these buildings to be like a maze."**

"She was not-" Draco started to protest, but Hermione had already spotted her father and ran to him. He watched them hug and sighed, feeling kind of jealous of her relationship with her parents. She probably had no idea how lucky she was...

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he trailed after her slowly and leaned heavily against the wall as he waited for it to be time to leave. He still felt a little weird, like he walking through water, but he didn't want to say anything and be forced to stay.

**Will looked at Draco and beamed. "Great to see that you're awake and well son," he smiled at Draco pleasantly, "are you sure you're okay though?" He studied Draco and looked unconvinced that the blonde boy was feeling better. "I don't want to have to carry you again, you're quite a lot heavier then you look...say, wasn't there a spell that you could use to levitate him?" he suddenly asked Hermione, who blushed and gave a small nod. **

**"I didn't think of it," she admitted embarrassed.**

"You didn't think of it?" Draco snickered, "that's a first." He actually grinned then and moved over to them, placing a hand on Mr. Granger's arm to steady himself. "I think I'll be all right though. I just want to go..." If he fainted again, then he'd just pretend he was sleeping.

He didn't know why he was being pleasant, but he supposed he was just too tired to be snarky right now.

**"Right, well we should be off then. Obviously you hate hospitals as much as I do," Will said happily as he placed a strong arm around Draco's shoulders in support. They walked out of the hospital and Will helped him into the car before a having a brief argument with Hermione about who was driving. Will eventually won the argument saying that she would make Draco pass out again with her driving. **

"If Hermione was driving I was going to walk," Draco said weakly, getting a laugh out of Mr. Granger. He seemed to think that every time Draco insulted her he was just trying to be funny, but he was honestly serious. There was no way he was risking his life in a car with Hermione ever again. It must be weird being a muggle parent with magic children though. Will seemed to just take everything in stride.

"What did you and your wife think when Gr-uh...Hermione was asked to go to Hogwarts?"

**Hermione glared at Draco slightly from the front seat before looking to her father as he went to reply Draco's question. "Well honestly, Jane and I didn't believe it to start of with, since we haven't grown up around magic and all that. It was more then a little hard to believe. Albus Dumbledore came over and explained and showed us things, once it was explained to us it made sense since...things always happened when Hermione was being to emotional..." Will paused for a moment. **

**"For example, when she was a toddler she wanted an ice cream and when we said no she started screaming and ran back to the ice cream store. Once we got there all the ice cream was melted on the floor and Hermione was sitting in the middle covered in melted ice cream with the only frozen one in her hand, eating it happily."**

Draco laughed and grinned at Hermione in the front. He'd never had any emotional episodes when he was younger because he was trained to mind his manners and basically not be seen or heard. "My parents are both wizards so they kind of expected me to be," Draco explained, finding it funny to think about what two muggles would do finding out about magic for the first time, "I expect if I turned out to be non-magical that they would have put me up for adoption and just had another baby."

He chuckled, but there wasn't any humor in it. He knew they would have. Lucius would have been furious to have a baby that couldn't do any magic at all.

**Hermione looked at him again a little sadness in her eyes for some reason before looking back to the front. She couldn't even imagine having Lucius as her father. She looked towards her own dad, knowing she was really lucky. "What are you thinking about muffin?" Will asked Hermione with a smile noticing that she was watching him. **

**"I dunno...things," she said softly with a small shrug.**

Draco stayed in uncomfortable silence until they were back to the house, feeling like he'd somehow ruined the conversation. Hermione and her family shouldn't have to care about him or his unhappy home life. No one should. As they pulled into the driveway, he rubbed his neck shyly and climbed out of the back seat. What was he supposed to say? He didn't feel like he was even supposed to be here, let alone making them feel bad for him. Hermione probably couldn't wait to send him back to Hogwarts.

"**Daddy, can I have the camera?" she asked her father as they walked into the house, "I want to take a look at the photos." **

**Mr. Granger nodded and pulled it out from his pocket handing it over to her. "I'll know if you delete any of them," he warned her and Hermione looked at him innocently. **

**"Do you want to look at the photos, Draco?" she asked him curiously.**

"I guess so," he shrugged, seating himself on the couch and pulling his legs up, hugging them to his chest. He could really care less about pictures at the moment, but if it took the attention off of him then he would do it. It was hard to remember that Hermione and him were trying to get along for her parents. Six years of despising a person was hard to reprogram.

That was probably why he didn't understand the fact that she didn't hate him at all. He /wanted/ her to hate him. The reason he had bothered her for so long was so that she would.

**Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll need to come to my room Draco. I need to plug the camera into my computer," she told him as she started to walk up the stairs. She walked past her room and looked in on her mum and little Draco who where both soundly asleep. Smiling to herself, Hermione finally went into her own bedroom and sat down at the desk.**

**She turned on her computer before pulling out a cord, plugging one side into the camera and the other into the computer, wondering if Draco would come up.**

Draco fought with himself for a few moments before sighing and heading up the stairs after her. He couldn't seem too interested or she'd start thinking he was a friend or something. Plus he still didn't feel too great. Scratching his bare side as he entered her room, he looked around at all the feminine things in surprise. Hermione had never struck him as a girly person really and thinking of her as a 'girl' was just weird.

"What that?" he asked, leaning his hands on the back of her chair as he peered down at the computer.

**She turned around and blushed again. Really, was he ever going to put a shirt on again? She stood up, standing to the side, and instructed him to sit since he had only just come back from the hospital. "It's called a computer. It's...like a pensive I guess...a complicated pensive," she said before explaining it in a little more detail. She had been hesitant in explaining it to him since when she had tried to explain to Ron...he fell asleep. However, she remembered that Draco was a lot smarter and would probably catch on. **

**She moved the mouse around clicking a few buttons before a page came up with previews of all the images.**

"Interesting," he nodding, biting his lip as he placed his hand hesitantly on the mouse and clicked around a little. "So you can store information and memories in here? And pictures from the camera?" It was a neat contraption. Maybe his parents would get him one. He was figuring out how to 'open' files and folders and things when he came across one that was filled with thumbnail images of handsome men and even a few of Ron and Harry. "Who are these people?" he snickered, not recognizing any of the muggle 'actors'.

**Hermione blushed and stole the mouse of him. "Mind your own business," she stated, quickly closing the rest of the folders and then opening the one with the camera photos. Unfortunately, the last photo to be taken came up first. The one of them kissing. She looked at it in surprise before her eyes widened. **

**This was bad.**

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Dun dun dun::evil theme music:: Haha. Sorry to leave you all in suspense, but you'll have to wait until next chapter to see what freaked Hermione out so much! Due to the wonderful response after the threatening last chapter, we've decided to ask for another five reviews this chapter. ::grins:: It's not really about the number of reviews, it's just nice to hear that we're actually writing something interesting and that anyone, besides us, cares. :P Anyhow, thank you all for reading and please let us know what you think! The next chapter will be up soon. 


	8. A grumpy ball of Draco

Thank you everyone who reviewed last chapter It's nice getting some feedback so we know we're not complete failures. XD There's still many chapters to come and lots more fighting and denial so don't get too worked up about them being paired just yet… Mwahaha. Anyhow, again, thank you for the lovely comments and without further ado, chapter eight!

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Last Chapter: **Hermione blushed and stole the mouse of him. "Mind your own business," she stated, quickly closing the rest of the folders and then opening the one with the camera photos. Unfortunately, the last photo to be taken came up first. The one of them kissing. She looked at it in surprise before her eyes widened. **

**This was bad.**

He had been busy smirking at her blushing face and wondering what 'business' she was hiding exactly so he hadn't noticed the picture yet, only the surprised look on Hermione's face. "What, what is it?" he frowned, looking back to the screen again. So what? It was the picture of them kissing. "Shocked because you look like you're enjoying yourself?" he chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest.

**"No...Draco the person in the background, does he look familiar to you? I think I've seen him somewhere before," she said pushing his chair aside slightly. Thankfully it was on wheels so it moved smoothly and she knelt in front of the desk to get a better look. Moving the photo into a different program, she cut out the face she thought look familiar and enlarged it to make the face a little clearer before letting out a gasp. **

**"It's...it's...Tom Riddle," she said completely confused, "it's Voldemort before he got...all snake-ish looking...this makes no sense..."**

Draco raised his eyebrows, clearly thinking she had gone mad. "How would Tom Riddle be in the restaurant?" he rolled his eyes, "I thought your stupid lover boy took him out in second year or something?" He didn't look or really feel too worried and seemed more entranced with the fact that the chair he was on could move. As she studied the face in the picture he was rolling himself about the room.

**"He's a wizard Draco," she said rolling her eyes, "there is a number of ways that this is possible." She looked over her shoulder at him and rolled her eyes, really, he should act his age. Looking back to the computer screen and studying the face, she frowned. "I swear on my life, Malfoy, that this is Tom Riddle. I mean, I don't think it's Voldemort himself...I don't think he'd stand there watching... Draco, possibly a deatheater just watched us kiss and you see no problem in this?"**

Draco was only half listening still as the mudblood went on and on as usual. She should learn when to shut up and maybe more people would want to befriend her. The wheel of the chair he was still pushing around got caught on her rug and he tipped over sideways with a crash. "Bloody chair!" he growled, standing shakily and kicking the rolling chair.

That was the last time he trusted a muggle made object! Retreating to the edge of Hermione's bed, he rubbed his shoulder and finally tuned back in to her words. "I think you're over reacting," he rolled his eyes, "and it wasn't a kiss, it was just a device to make your parents stop harassing me."

**Hermione snickered as she watched him crash into the ground. "It's a chair Draco, not a toy," she told him, watching him as he moved to her bed. "Yes, I know that you know that, but seriously, you still did kiss me Malfoy, and if a deatheater saw it your father will find out about it," she told him, a little concern showing in her eyes.**

"How do you know that it was a deatheater and not just some mistake with the camera? And I didn't bloody kiss you! I don't even think our lips touched, all right? Geez, if you think that was a kiss then Weasel must have been pretty pathetic." He flopped back against her comforter and closed his eyes, feeling embarrassed that she kept bringing it up. He did it so the picture would be taken and it would be over with. That was it. But if his father did find out...

**"Oh right, so my father takes a picture and, whoops, who put the young version of Voldemort in there I wonder?" she asked sarcastically, before sighing and giving up. If someone had seen then she guessed they'd find out eventually. She started to go through the other pictures, a little amazed at how many her parents actually took of her and Draco together. **

**"You know you're pretty good looking when you're not glaring or snarling."**

"You know your pretty gross when you talk like that?" he shot back, still gazing up at her ceiling from his relaxed position. This was too weird. Granger was starting to talk to him like a normal person and even compliment him. It was all wrong. The only thing he wanted to do with her was fight and she had better get that through her thick skull.

**Hermione chuckled. "That's more like it, I was wondering where the insults had gone," she stated, looking back to the computer. She switched it off after a few more minutes and stood up, walking over to him. "You can get of my bed now ferret," she smirked as she looked at him. "You should probably go get some sleep anyway...it's been a long day...and it's...one in the morning," she stated in surprise looking at her clock. **

"With the way you were behaving I was starting to think that you were going to ask me to /stay/ in your bed," the blonde snorted, pushing himself up hesitantly so the rush of dizziness wouldn't happen again. Maybe he'd hit his head or something. Oh well, he'd taken enough blows to the head to be used to it.

"Put on some clothes, Granger," he added, "you're going to make people sick." Strolling out of her room, he moved into his own across the hall. Ha. That showed her.

**She winced slightly at the low blow before sighing. Typical. She shut the door after he left and took off her father's coat, putting it to one side before slipping into bed. Giving a loud yawn, she turned off the lamp and quickly fell asleep.**

**Hermione only slept for about six hours though, finally waking up at seven.**

Draco had changed into pajama bottoms when he was safe in his room and snuck out his dragon stuffed animal that he'd kept with him since he was a little boy. It was a present from his mother and Lucius had tried to destroy it, saying it would make him soft and girly having a 'teddy'. Luckily, he'd hidden it and acted as though he couldn't care less about it, sneaking it out every night to hold tight to and cry when mother and father were fighting or angry with him.

He had no idea why he still had it now, but as the blonde boy climbed into his strange bed for the night, he hugged the dragon close under his chin and drifted off with the stuffie still clutched tightly in his arms.

**Hermione knocked on Draco's door an hour after waking up annoyed, that he was still asleep since she couldn't annoy him...if that made sense. She growled slightly when Draco didn't answer though and opened the door walking in to go wake up...when she spotted the teddy. Her eyes widened as she looked at the scene before her. She quickly and silently rushed out getting the camera from her desk before coming back into the room, turning on the camera and putting it into position. **

**She took the photo, the flash going off brightly.**

Draco grumbled and blinked groggily when the flash went off in his eyes, sitting up in bed and yawning. He seemed to be happy enough, even if a little bit tired as he stretched and cracked his back

Then he noticed the camera.

"GRANGER?!" he flipped out, yanking the covers up to cover his chest like he was suddenly shy of his half nakedness. "What the bloody hell are you doing in my room?! AND WITH A CAMERA?!" he demanded, his loud voice probably waking the entire house. Little Draco was wailing already, seeming to share Draco's anguish.

**Hermione laughed gently at everything that he had just done before reaching into the bed and pulling out his stuffed Dragon. "You just looked so cute cuddling it," she said with innocent eyes as she looked at him. **

**"I had to take a photo of it...do you have a name for the dragon?" **

Draco went pale and he didn't seem in the least bit amused as he held out his hand. "Give it back, Granger," he hissed in an angry tone. That was his property and his business and she had no right barging in here and doing this. He didn't know why his chest tightened painfully at the sight of his childhood toy in her hand, but he felt like he was going to cry. This wasn't something that was for her to make fun of. That dragon had been his best friend when he had no one else to tell how much it hurt to be him.

"Now, Granger," he growled, his voice deadly quietly even though he looked ready to scream at her.

**Hermione rolled her eyes and handed it back to him. "It wasn't like I was going to destroy it, I was just surprised that you have one that's all," she told him. **

**"I used to have one," she admitted, smiling as she tried to calm him down, "it was a lion used to call it speckles, but I lost him at the beginning of the year when our holiday house burnt down." Shrugging, she held up the camera. "Look. Here, I'll delete the photo. Get dressed, breakfast is ready," she said before walking out. **

"I don't know why I brought it, all right?" he snapped, catching his dragon plushy as she practically flung it at him, "just piss off!" He didn't care if she used to have one or not, he just didn't appreciate her treating 'Kiki' that way. The dragon had been his best friend and something to hold onto and Hermione had no idea what it meant to him.

Stupid mudblood. He turned his back to her and kissed the top of the dragon's head, knowing it symbolized a lot more for him then just the normal 'comfort' that kids used it for. Gently setting it down in his suitcase, Draco sighed. Why did /she/ have to see that?

**Hermione was in her room, having just printed out the photo of Draco with his plushie. She studied it for a few moments before shaking her head. She hated how innocent he looked in that picture...that's why she couldn't completely destroy it. Hiding the picture in her draw, Hermione reluctantly deleted it from the camera. She had told him that she'd delete it after all. Once she had done that she stood and went back down to the kitchen. She had been cooking everyone breakfast and it was almost finished.**

Draco angrily dressed and brushed his hair and teeth, wanting to strangle Hermione. No one was ever supposed to know about Kiki, especially not his father or the stupid nosy mudblood. And to take a picture of him... Ugh, what had she been planning to /do/ with it?

Mr. Granger said good morning to him in the hallway and he managed to mutter out a polite enough response before stalking down the stairs. The man just chuckled, having heard Draco flipping out about something. Hermione had been tormenting him already.

"**Hello Draco," she said brightly once he had reached the bottom of the stairs. The kitchen was only a few steps away in the room next to them. **

**"Do me a favor and pour some juice into those glasses over there on the bench. I don't want the bacon to burn," she told him as she put some more bacon into the frying pan, moving to the next pan over and cracking a few eggs into it.**

"Don't even try to pull that cheery attitude with me, mudblood," he hissed quietly, moving past her without doing what she asked, "if we /were/ dating, I would have dumped your sorry ass long ago!" Annoyed that she was pretending nothing had ever happened he grabbed up a raw egg and smushed it down on top of her head, going for the orange juice to do the same. He couldn't strangle her in her own home, but he was so bloody frustrated!

**Hermione let out a gasp of shock when she felt Draco splat the egg onto her head. "You didn't," she said, glaring at him as she reached up and touched the top of her head. "You're so dead," she growled in a low threatening voice, picking up her own raw egg and smashing it onto his forehead. Unfortunately, however, she knocked the juice jug he was holding while doing it so, sending it not only over her, but Draco as well. **

Draco yelped when the juice dumped over both of them and winced, knowing his clothes would have to be thrown away. Suddenly though, he really didn't care. Narrowing his eyes at Hermione, he lifted the jug and emptied the remaining contents over her head. "I did," he retorted, already looking for something else to throw at her.

**Hermione's eyes narrowed as well as she looked at Draco, her hair dripping with egg and juice, the front of her shirt wet as well. She picked up another egg and this time instead of smashing it to his forehead she smashed it into his hair. Before he could do anything else, she reached into the fridge pulling out a cream pie holding it up ready to plant it right into his face. **

Draco saw it come and shot his hand forward, scooping out some of the pie filling and smirking as he ran the handful down her face before she could stop him. "That's a good look for you, Granger," he sneered, "no one can see your face then." Drat, he had run out of ammunition. As he went to search for more in the fridge, he suddenly found himself with the remainder of the pie in his face as Hermione hit him full on with the pie tin.

How dare she! Cream was terrible for his skin and it would probably clog the pores... But then Draco began to do something very, very strange.

He began to laugh.

"**You...you!" she stuttered as he said that the cream over her face was a good look for her. "Bastard," she stated, slapping the remainder of the pie into his face. **

**She dropped the tin in shock when he laughed. He was actually laughing. Not a forced laugh, or a mean laugh...but an amused laugh. A happy one. **

**So she of course had to laugh as well.**

"Stuck up witch," he shot back, still snickering as he wiped the cream filling stuff from his eyes. She did look rather silly with pie filling, egg and juice dripping down her and all over the floor. He wiped his face a little on his shirt and finally gave up. Wait a minute. Magic. Duh. A quick scourgify would take care of everything...if his wand wasn't up in his room.

Knowing he couldn't drag a sticky mess up the stairs, Draco sighed and opened a jar on the counter, scooping up a handful of flour and hitting Hermione with that as well. At least it would dry up all the wet stuff...

**Hermione glared at him before coughing as flour went into her mouth. "Egotistical wizard," she retorted before reaching into her pocket to retrieve her wand. **

**Except it wasn't there. Like Draco, her wand was in her room. She sighed. "We've made such a mess," she pouted looking around at it all as she sneakily reached behind her, groping for something and grinning when she found it. **

**Haha butter! She had brought it out for the toast. Scrapping her hand into it she rubbed it together between her hands before grinning and putting her hands on his arms just where his shirt sleeves finished and trailed her hands down spreading the butter.**

"Gross!" he exclaimed, trying to wipe his arms back onto her and tripping them both in the process. Draco suddenly found himself on top of Hermione in the huge mess of goop, eggs and who knew what else and looked at her in surprise.

"Nice one! Making us fall," he grumbled, slipping as he tried to push himself up more and ended up being more firmly on top of her. He didn't know if she could see his reddening cheeks, but he really wanted to get up now.

**"Excuse me? Me making us fall?" she retorted, staying still since with having Draco's full weight on her she really couldn't do all that much. She couldn't see his reddening cheeks, lucky for him, due to the cream that was covering them, but since Hermione didn't have quite as much cream he could probably see hers. **

**"I had nothing to do with the falling. It wasn't like I could exactly pull your weight down on top of me…" Her own blush then came a lot stronger.**

"I can't get up," he announced softly, looking horrified. Short of rolling onto his back or her shoving him off, he was stuck. And there was no way that he, Draco Malfoy, was rolling on his back into all that muck!

"And you did make us fall you stupid tart," he growled, annoyed with the whole situation. All of this was her fault!

**"I did not," she snapped in return, glaring up at him. "If I remember correctly you were the first one to smush food!" she stated stubbornly, before putting her hands on his chest trying to push him up. "You weigh to much Malfoy," she grunted as she finally pushed him of her and stood. However, halfway through standing up she lost her footing and slipped, landing in the same position that Malfoy had been in a few moments ago.**

"And you burst into my room and took rude pictures!" he snapped, finding himself on his back a moment later as she shoved him hard. A pained 'oof' escaped his lips as she landed on top of him this time and he looked up into the big, beautiful brown eyes with surprise and confusion. Had he just thought...beautiful? There was barely an inch between their faces so it didn't take much effort for Draco to lean up and touch their lips together, tensing as a camera flashed in the kitchen doorway. Not again...

**"They weren't rude pictures! I took a photo of you because I thought you looked cute cuddling the teddy!" she pouted before her eyes widened in surprise as she felt Draco's soft, warm lips on her own again. It wasn't exactly a kiss, though if her parents hadn't interrupted it certainly would have been. She had never been as annoyed with her family as she was right now. **

**She let out a small groan and pulled her face away from Draco's, her head turning to see which of her parents it was. Of course, it was none other then daddy.**

Draco suddenly pushed her off, running from the room to his bedroom upstairs and grabbing his wand. Bloody hell, she was doing something to him! This had to be a cruel trick...maybe a potion? Or a spell! She was bewitching him into kissing her so she could get embarrassing photos of him! He quickly scourgified himself and the mess he'd made on the way up and then promptly locked himself in the bathroom.

One day with Granger and he was already going mad.

Draco turned on the shower so that they would think he was in it, but really he was sitting on the toilet with his head in his hands, trying to figure out what horrible reason he had for kissing the mudblood. He was tainted now and she could use it against him... If he kept treating her like he usually did then she might feel the need to spill the secrets about him she now had to Blaise...or Snape. Oh merlin. What was he supposed to do?

He knew he'd been in the bathroom a lot longer then needed for a simple shower by now and sighed heavily. How much longer could he hide? He still had an entire day with these people...

**Little over forty minutes later Hermione knocked on the bathroom door. "Draco, you've spent enough time hiding and you're wasting water, we need to have a talk - and don't go getting all defensive. We're having a rational talk," she said placing her hands on her hips even though he could not see. **

"Piss off," he grumbled, just loud enough that she'd hear him over the water. Fine, so he was wasting water? He'd just turn it off. Moving to the shower, he turned the water off with a huff of annoyance and went back to his seat on the toilet, pulling up his feet this time so he was curled into a grumpy ball of Draco.

**Hermione muttered curses at him under her breath before sighing and pulling out her wand pointing at the door. "Alohamora," she whispered softly, a soft click came as the door unlocked and she opened the door slipping inside silently, amazed that Draco had yet to notice her. She softly closed the door and whispered a nearly silent locking spell that would only release when she said the counter spell.**

**He still hadn't noticed her. He really must be deep in thought.**

**She pulled herself up onto the counter across from him, sitting down and watching him for a good five minutes. "Draco, we need to talk."**

Draco nearly jumped out of his skin as she spoke. When did she get here? "I said piss off, Granger," he said coldly, glaring at her like he wished she would fall over and die on the spot.

"I have nothing to say to you," he huffed, getting up to leave. When he reached the door, however, the handle wouldn't budge. "What the bloody hell did you do!? LET ME OUT!" Draco was about ready to murder the stupid witch and he just wanted everything to be like it was before. He /liked/ hating her. It was just another thing in his life that he grew used to.

**Hermione didn't say anything she just looked at him blankly and crossed her legs on the bench leaning back onto the mirror. He would talk to her. He wasn't going anywhere until he did. She had also put a silencing charm on the bathroom so her parents wouldn't be able to hear them. Hopefully they didn't come to the wrong conclusions. Thankfully though, they had two bathrooms so there was a chance that no one would even notice how long they were occupying this one.**

"If you don't open this door you're going to regret it," he threatened in a low tone, looking ready to march over and make her do it. He was shaking with anger that she was forcing him to do this and he was tempted to use an unforgivable to show her he meant business. How far would Hermione dare push him?

His smoldering gaze stayed on the stubborn witch as he took out his wand and pointed it at her. "I said, OPEN IT!"

**"What are you going to do, Malfoy? Hurt me? Torture me? Kill me in my own home with my parents and little brother down the corridor? Are they next?" she asked, "is /that/ the only reason you came? So you could get close to my family and then kill them all off? I wouldn't put it pass Voldemort to give an order like that. I wouldn't put it pass any deatheater to do that, considering my home is protected by strong magic," she looked him clear in the eyes. **

**"Could you do that?" She was fiercely determined to change Draco, even if it killed them both.**

"Maybe I could," Draco growled angrily, advancing towards her slowly, "maybe I would wring your snotty mudblood neck and then hit your parents with the most painful torture spells I've learned...smash in that little brat's head on the cement..." His stomach churned in disgust even as he spoke the words, knowing that despite his anger, he was just all talk. He could never hurt that sweet little baby, or her parents...or even her.

**Hermione continued to stare at him. "Then maybe you're more like your father...more like Voldemort then I originally thought," she told him softly, looking down at her hands. "Is that really what you want to be like Draco? To be completely self involved and isolated from every person around you until you become a bitter bastard exactly like Voldemort?" Her words weren't spiteful, just soft and informing. **

"I won't be isolated," he spat at her, "I would have all the other death eaters with me and Voldemort would reward me for doing away with you and your pathetic family. What would Potter do then? Hmm? Without his little brainiac to come up with all the ideas, he'd be lost. With only purely his will to keep fighting, I think Potter would lose. We would win."

Draco's icy blue eyes were watching her carefully, as if he thought this might be another trap. She had to know that she was only pissing him off more.

**Hermione let her legs dangle of the side of the cupboard and slipped onto her feet, walking closer to him. She looked up at him with slight surprise, for the first time really realizing how much taller he really was. "I don't want you to be like that Draco," she told him softly, "why do you insist that you have to be a deatheater? You aren't like that. You know that, I know that."**

Draco glared down at her, not missing a beat. "Why do /you/ insist that I have to be good deep down somewhere? Maybe I'm rotten to the core. Did you ever stop and think that maybe you never read me right at all? That maybe my stammerings and words were all a trap to lure you into loathing, but trusting, me?" He smirked slightly and lifted her chin with his fingertip. "And you enjoyed every disgusting second of it."

**"Then too bad, because I fell into the trap and I'm now at your complete disposal," she said sounding oddly hollow, as if she believed what he had just told her, which of course she didn't. "Just promise me one thing, please don't make my family suffer," she told him softly, a tear dripping out of her eye, down her cheek landing on Draco's hand. **

Draco stepped away from her and sighed, slumping down onto the edge of the bathtub. Well this was just great. Now she believed he was a murderous asshole who lied to get into her home. He wasn't. But he wasn't the good guy that she seemed to think he was either. He was just...Draco. He wanted so badly to make his father proud, but he didn't want to kill people. How did hurting people solve anything? Wars were so bloody stupid! How could Draco explain that he was both good and bad? No, not good at all... He just didn't always agree with some of the things asked of him.

**Hermione sighed and sat down as well leaning against the wall as she tried to think of something else to say. "Forgetting all of that stuff, Draco...," she said finally looking towards him. "Forgetting Voldemort, your father, my father, the fact that you're a pureblood and I'm a mudblood," she said spitting the last word in disgust before sighing, "what do you enjoy to do? You like flying a lot don't you?"**

Now what was she on about? Hermione had always talked too much, but now her words were surprising. Suddenly he wasn't scary anymore or something? "How can you do that?" he asked in wonder, frowning at her as he ran a hand through his hair.

"**Do what?" she asked a little confused, though she had sort an idea to what he was saying. Hermione looked away, giving a sigh in thought. And he thought /she/ was confusing. At least she was clear on what side she was on. You couldn't stick to one side while dangling your foot in the other.**

"Forget," he whispered, shaking his head, "how can you tell me to forget all of that and just talk like we simply people? ...how can you forget?" He could never just pretend like she wasn't a muggle born and a Harry Potter lover when he was getting ready to start his deatheater training and fight the very person she considered one of her best friends. His lord wanted all the people that mattered to her dead. How could you FORGET that?!

**"Because that's what we are. Simply people," she told him softly. "No matter how you look at it, Malfoy, we're still just a boy and a girl. Two humans. Pure blood or not, we both live, breathe, hurt, laugh, hate and love. No matter what you or anyone you're associated with has done, you're still a sixteen year old boy that likes to fly, sleep with his teddy, enjoy nice foods, and play quidditch. We aren't that different Malfoy, just on different sides of a war." **

"Maybe you think everything can be reduced to such a simple state Granger, but that's not the case," he rolled his eyes. So what if she kind of made sense? He was tired of listening to everyone else tell him his way of thinking was wrong or that he should do things their way. From now on he was listening to himself first and foremost and his mind was tell him to kiss Granger again. Fuck. Okay, scratch that. WHAT WAS GOING ON?! "Can you do me a favor and shut up for a moment?" he snapped, "no offense." He just needed a second to calm down and figure out what was happening. He wanted to go back to Hogwarts and talk to Blaise... Maybe he would know what to say that would solve these conflicting feelings in Draco's heart.

On one hand he wanted to become the most evil deatheater alive and prove to his father that he was capable of such a thing...but on the other hand he knew he would never be heartless enough to do what was needed. He was trapped.

**Hermione studied him for a few moments before resting her head on her knees, thinking to herself letting Draco have his silence. She knew that she talked too much sometimes, but usually it was with good reason...or she was just trying to comfort herself through something. She didn't understand what was happening to her. Why did she want Draco to be on the 'good side' for some reason? Did she like him? No. Never. Then what? She must like him...she didn't mind his kisses...well his touch since the two incidents didn't really rate as a proper kiss...but really. She couldn't /like/ like him, this was Malfoy. **

"Maybe I should just go," he said flatly, looking towards the door. Right now, being apart from /her/ would probably help the most. Granger drove him up the wall on a /good/ day. Today was a bad day and he wanted to wring her neck at the moment. At least she'd actually shut that big yap of hers for once.

He glanced at her in annoyance and wondered if he stole her wand if he could just unlock the door himself. This was stupid and he didn't want to be stuck in the bathroom with her for another second.

**"Yes," she said sitting up, "you should go. I'll contact McGonagall and get her to bring the portkey." Her voice was soft as she pulled out her wand and said the counter spell, standing and walking out the bathroom. She crossed the hall to her room and closed the door behind her.**

**She then moved to her desk and started to write the letter to McGonagall.**

Draco pushed himself up and still felt like something was wrong. He swallowed hard, trying to rid his throat of the lump that was making tears prickle at his eyes. Since when was he such an emotional wuss? Slowly moving out of the bathroom, Draco went to the room where little Draco was sleeping in his crib. He studied the tiny boy for a few minutes and closed his eyes.

Was it so hard to admit that the order sounded appealing? Even if he did become a traitor to Voldemort's side, would the side of light ever really trust him? He would have made a bloody good deatheater if he was able to kill people. There was a memory he had though, one of his father killing a man in their home. Draco, only seven, had watched life fade from the man's eyes into a dull glaze. He swore he would never do that.

Lifting baby Draco out of the crib, he cradled him gently and moved to Hermione's doorway. "Granger?" he frowned, "why don't you think I'm evil?"

**Hermione's hand stopped moving over the paper but it was still propped up to write. She didn't move, thinking about his question. She heard the soft gurgle of her little brother as he started to wake in Draco's arms pleasantly. "I don't know really," she finally said, "I look at the way you treat my little brother and wonder how I could have ever thought that you were. You're a bastard, that I have no problems saying...but you're not evil. It shows in your eyes too."**

"I don't understand," he sighed, looking down at the baby, "sometimes I think I could really do it...kill someone...and then I see their eyes... I just can't do it." He stroked the baby's soft peach fuzz hair and the little boy made happy baby sounds at him. "This little guy knows exactly how harmless I am. Pathetic...and harmless...

Draco bit his lip and wondered if his eyes gave away so much then had Lucius noticed? Did he already know?

**"You're not pathetic and harmless. I would never kill anyone. Do you think I'm pathetic?" She paused for a moment before chuckling slightly. "Actually I don't think I want to know your answer to that. You can be strong and intimidating without ever killing or hurting anyone Draco... Well if you're on my side that is. I doubt there's room as a deatheater with thoughts such as that." she sighed softly.**

Draco leaned against the doorframe with a defeated expression. So in other words, he was a failure to his cause and he did belong with the rest of the wimps in the order who were too 'good' to kill anyone. Just the idea of being grouped in with people like Potter made him feel sick. His confidence and stubborn belief were crumbling down around him. "You think I'm mean, don't you baby?" he whispered, groaning in horror as the tiny boy just hit a hand against his chin and gurgled. This was terrible.

**"Draco, maybe it would be better...easier for you to understand if you talk to Professor Snape?" she asked him softly. "The order can protect you, but you don't need to like anyone in the order... You don't have to be like them, you just have to be against Voldemort," she told him softly tilting her head slightly. **

"How can I be against Voldemort?" Draco frowned, "he's helped my family out for years...and mother...she would be devastated if I betrayed her and father and left..." He shook his head and turned his back to Hermione, still gazing down at her baby brother. If he did deflect to the good side then it would be rather selfish. He would be leaving behind people who depended on him... Draco was torn and chose to say nothing at all as he went to return little Draco to his crib.

**"That's why you should go talk to Snape," she told him as she followed. "I can't fully comprehend what you're going through Draco...as much as I try to say that I do. Snape's been through it... I don't expect an answer. I'd just like it if you thought about it that's all," she told him softly as she looked down at her brother once Draco had put him back into the crib**

"Don't tell me what to do," Draco muttered half-heartedly, slumping back against the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. How would talking to Snape help? He'd considered leaving Voldemort's side as well? How would Hermione even know about that if it was true? Sighing, he knew that one thing was for certain. If he did chose to betray Voldemort, Lucius was going to kill him.

**Hermione went silent for a little while before speaking up again. "I wasn't telling you, I was suggesting," she said softly before going to her knees in front of him. "You doubt me don't you? That I'm trying to play a trick on you? I have memories of Snape as well. Take a look...I wont block you out this time." Maybe then, if he hit upon some of the right memories it might help him choose.**

"I don't want to, all right?" he growled, "I don't want you being nice to me and 'helping' me. Why do you even care? Do you have a crush on me or something Granger? Is /that/ why you keep insisting that I'm good inside? Cause it makes you feel better about being attracted to the enemy?" He snorted in disbelief. Yah right, like that could be true.

**Hermione glared and slapped him...hard. "I don't have a bloody crush on you Malfoy. Haven't you ever stop to think that this may actually be what I'm like? Concerned and caring about everyone, even if you are my 'enemy' ?" she asked him in disgust. "You'll always be the same pureblood egotistical bastard Malfoy, nothing will ever change you. I hope you turn out like your father and rot in hell," she spat.**

He grabbed his cheek in pain, although relief flooded through him as she confirmed what he thought. There was no way she'd ever fall for him. Thank merlin. Wait, hold on a minute. "Hey!" he frowned, "that's still better then being stuck up, know-it-all, frizz-head mudblood!" He glared at her and resisted the urge his twitching hand had to slap her back. Draco stood too his full height, ready for a fight.

**"Twitchy little ferret!" she snapped going to her full height...which wasn't much compared to Draco's.**

"Prissy bookworm!" he snapped, clenching his fists angrily.

**"Stupid, gelled, fake perfection," she glared in reply.**

Ouch, that one was low. Although that did mean she though he was 'perfect'. "Ugly little minx," he hissed back.

**"Retarded little serpent," she sneered.**

"Potter loving whore," he muttered, starting to run out of things to call her. Where was his extensive vocabulary of insults when he needed it? His mind was failing him lately...

**"Pug face, Pansy loving, man whore," she smirked in return, knowing she was winning.**

"Smug little bitch!" he snapped, growing angry again at the most recent name. He did /not/ love Pansy and she knew it! And the frizzball was insulting his beautiful face! Oh, it was on now.

"Idiotic, crap quidditch player!" she snapped in return really she had been insulting Pansy's face, but it figured that Draco would take it the wrong way. 

His eyes blazed angrily as he glared down her, feeling something snap. It was one thing to insult his appearance, or even his taste in women, but insulting his quidditch talent was a whole different ballgame. "Why you little-" he started, surprised by how...good...she looked when she was pissed off like this. No, no, need another insult!

"Weasel shagger," he said coldly, knowing that would really hit home with the prat's recent cheating escapades.

**Hermione gasped her eyes glazing over for a moment as she fought tears, before she growled at him, taking a step closer and looking up at him stubborn and determined.**

**"Zabini shagger," she said in a dangerously low tone.**

He raised his eyebrows, trying not to chuckle. What was /that/ supposed to mean? The way her eyes glittered when she was angry and her cheeks flushed was so damn...attractive. There! He'd said it. Granger was bloody hot when she was mad! Maybe that's why all the boys in their year made a point of upsetting her...

As he watched her fume and glare up at him, he felt a strange pull to bend down and..

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And what?! Oh no! You'll all just have to wait until next chapter to see what silly, stubborn Draco decides to do. ::laughs evilly:: Both of us (Jess and Nat) had loads of fun doing the back and forth insults and giggled and snickered our whole way through it. We can't make any promises, but there might actually be another kiss coming up sometime soon… ::winks:: Please review and let us know what you though! 


	9. Royally screwed

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and for lack of anything better to say, here's the chapter. Heh heh. We're uncreative with author's notes today.

* * *

(Last chapter: **Hermione gasped her eyes glazing over for a moment before she growled at him taking a step closer looking up at him stubborn and determined.**

**"Zabini shagger," she said in a dangerously low tone.**

He raised his eyebrows, trying not to chuckle. What was /that/ supposed to mean? The way her eyes glittered when she was angry and her cheeks flushed was so damn...attractive. There! He'd said it. Granger was bloody hot when she was mad! Maybe that's why all the boys in their year mad a point of upsetting her...

As he watched her fume and glare up at him, he felt a strange pull to bend down and...)

:-:

And then it was too late. He was kissing her. Not timid and careful like the first two times. Forceful and a little rough, like his emotions at the moment.

**Hermione had no idea why, but she wasn't even shocked when Draco leaned down and kissed her. She instantly returned his kiss just as rough. It really wasn't anything like their first two times where he'd been more nervous. Whoever said the first kiss was one to never forget was a complete and utter idiot. **

**The third time was obviously better.**

Draco didn't even think about what he was doing, lost in the taste and smell and feel of Hermione. He turned them suddenly so Hermione was the one with her back against the wall and held her there, kissing her lips more softly all of a sudden and moving the scorching kisses down her neck. As he was exploring her silky skin, a familiar man cleared his throat behind them. Oh...crap...

**Hermione wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting a small sound escape her lips as his kisses moved down her neck. Her eyes closed as she just lived for the moment, not caring what problems this may cause later on. Her eyes then opened, startled, as she heard her father clear his throat. "Hello daddy," she said softly, her cheeks going red as she tilted her head to the side, looking at her father's face past Draco's head.**

Draco released her like he'd been burned and stammered an apology. "I-I'm sorry, sir," he blushed, "I don't know what came over me. Really..." He couldn't meet the man's eyes and felt ashamed that he'd even touched Hermione in the first place. She was supposed to be off limits...for more reasons then one.

**Mr. Granger only gave a nod as he studied the two gravely. "Professor Snape is in the kitchen waiting to talk to the two of you. I suggest you...straighten yourselves up and meet him down there in a few moments," he stated, clearly not pleased about what he had just walked in on before he walked away, leaving them alone.**

"I'm sorry, Granger," he said softly, taking another step away from her. He didn't know why he had kissed her other then the fact that it had seemed like a good idea at the time. Now her father was going to be angry with him and Hermione would get the wrong idea about 'them' and he was going to be driven mad.

"S-Snape is waiting for us," he added quickly, moving to duck out the door.

**"I don't think so Malfoy," she said grabbing his collar, pulling him back in and turning him around. "You are going to explain to me what just happened after we talk to the professor," she told him in a matter of fact tone as she brushed past him and headed towards the kitchen. **

"You kissed me," he huffed, "that's what happened." What did she expect him to say? Wasn't it completely obvious what had just happened? Women were so confusing... He sighed and eyed her over. She still looked like she had just been snogged so he stopped her. "Hold on a second," he muttered, smoothing her hair and straightening her shirt. There. Nothing could be done about her rosy cheeks or her slightly swollen lips...but...he'd...just had to /ignore/ them. Dammit. That was the last time he was looking at her lips /ever/.

**Hermione looked up at him, her eyes slightly wide as he fixed her up. She cleared her throat slightly, blushing as she reached over and did up the buttons that she had somehow undone throughout that kiss, only a little amused that he hadn't noticed. "And you ah...have some lip gloss on your lips," she said softly reaching up and wiping it of with her thumb.**

Draco sighed and pushed away her hand, wiping his mouth off on his hand. His face was rather red now as well, but they looked as presentable as they could currently. Time to see Snape. "Coming?" he snapped, not really sounding as rude as normal as he stalked off into the kitchen. It was just scaring him to not fight with her. But fighting seemed to have...negative effects on him as well.

**However all the fixing up they had done seemed to be in vain since the moment they entered the kitchen, Snape raised an eyebrow at them with a disgusted look. "Now that you've finished your snogfest I suppose we can concentrate on something more important," he remarked in a cool tone, "you are both to return to Hogwarts at once. A matter of grave importance has come up." **

**"Is Harry okay?" Hermione asked instantly. **

**Snape sighed. "Unfortunately, yes."**

Draco flushed and looked at his feet in shame, wishing that Snape didn't know. "Professor it wasn't-"

"Something I want to hear about? Yes I know," he snapped, cutting Draco off before he could finish his explanation. The blonde cringed and still couldn't meet his godfather's gaze as he bit his lip and leaned back against the kitchen wall.

What could be so important that they had to return at once? Surprise exams? Honestly, he didn't really want to know what 'emergency' there was now.

**Hermione slammed her hands on the table angrily. Snape didn't even flinch since he was quite used to her temper by now. "I am not leaving my home until I know why we are suddenly being called back," she said stubbornly. **

**Snape sighed again, narrowing his eyes at the impertinent girl. "We don't have time for this Ms. Granger. If you must know a threat has been made against you and if you do not leave, you'll put your family in more danger then they already are."**

Draco looked up in surprise at Snape's words and wondered if it had anything to do with his presence in her house. "I'll get my things straight away, Professor," he said quietly, hoping to retreat and get his things without further scolding. If he had anything to do with a threat on Hermione and her family then he was going to feel even worse. He didn't want anyone to hurt them...especially the baby.

**Once they had their things, Snape transported them back to Hogwarts and then to his office, sitting them both down on the other side of his desk before he sat himself and looked at them. "Ms. Granger, I received an order from Voldemort this morning," he said looking at her, "however before I tell either of you about it I must know where your loyalties lie Draco." He clasped his hands as he gazed intently at the blonde boy.**

"Professor?" Draco frowned in confusion. What did he mean by that? His loyalties were exactly that same as Snape's...weren't they? Looking nervously at Hermione and then back to Snape again, he shrugged. "I don't want to see Granger's family hurt, sir," Draco said quietly. And he didn't. They were good people, not like his family.

**Snape gave a nod. "Then your loyalties do not lie with Voldemort, simple as that Draco. For if they did you would not hesitate to kill anyone. Ms. Granger here, her family, or even me or your mother and father," he said. "For Voldemort, we give up everything, we live for him, we breathe for him...we die by his hand, usually."**

"Why would he ever ask me to kill you?" he stared, "or mother and father?" Although he had assumed he was loyal to the dark lord all these years, if what Snape was saying was true then Draco had been a 'traitor' for quite some time. He hesitated to kill /anyone/, especially people he knew or that mattered to him. So...he was a failure. "I'm sorry, sir," Draco apologized, "I don't mean to fail at everything you all ask of me..."

"**You're quite wrong there Mr. Malfoy. In fact at the moment I couldn't be more proud of you," he said simply. Hermione held in a secretive smile as she looked away. "And I assure you Draco, that if the situation arose, you would have to eventually kill someone that you consider to be close." **

Draco was really confused now. Snape wasn't making sense anymore. "Proud?" he frowned, "what is there to be proud of? The fact that I fail as a deatheater or the fact that I'm too weak to ever follow proper orders?" He was thinking back to Dumbledore again. If he couldn't even kill that man who he didn't particularly like, then wouldn't Voldemort know he wasn't able to kill anyone else? "Did...Voldemort know? That I'm not able to kill?"

**Snape took a breath. "Yes, he is quite aware. Perhaps you should tell Draco why you've been so insistent on trying to change him?" he questioned Hermione who looked at Draco nervously. **

**"I'd rather not." she told the professor softly. She looked to Snape and saw the expression on the man's face and sighed before nodding. "Draco, after your father came here, he went to Voldemort telling him everything...Voldemort then gave your father the order to kill you. Which he...accepted."**

Draco had been about ask what Snape meant by Hermione trying to change him when his jaw dropped. His own father had accepted...to kill him?

"You're lying," he choked, looking scared now, "why would Lucius do that? Why would he kill me?! I'm his son!" The only thing Draco had ever wanted was to make his father proud...and he had failed. "Granger and I weren't even together...it was all a lie. He was that angry..." Draco closed his eyes and shook his head, suddenly realizing that he'd let his own secret slip. He doubted Snape would let them get away without explaining why they had 'pretended' to date.

**"Draco," Snape sighed, trying to think how to get him to understand. "Wait, what? It was a lie?" he demanded. Hermione gave a nod and explained to him what had happened with the note. "So, the snogging was just a little fun on the side?" he asked them both, sounding annoyed. **

**"No the snogging was the confusing part," Hermione muttered, before sighing and looking to Draco. "I'm sorry...I didn't want you to find out..."**

"I'm sure you're enjoying this," he snapped at Hermione, not wanting her apologies. He still couldn't believe it. What if...he told his father the truth? "If I told Lucius it was a lie...would they call it off?" Draco asked desperately, "or...maybe I could turn myself in! Does my mother know? She would stop it...she would have to..." He knew he sounded a little hysterical, but what could you expect? Anyone was bound to go a little crazy know that their own flesh and blood wanted them dead.

**Snape stayed silent while Draco ranted and knew this was hard for him to hear. "Draco," he said, putting his cold expression back on as he looked at him, "I am coming to you as your godfather. Someone who does care about you." He leaned forward slightly in the chair and frowned. "If you return to Voldemort or your father, you /will/ be killed," he said bluntly. Shifting his gaze from Draco to Hermione, he sighed. **

**"Now, you. Professor McGonagall received a letter this morning that said these precise words. 'The mudblood will die by the hands of Voldemort along with her traitorous boyfriend'. Along with that was a photo of the two of you kissing in a fancy place, outside the girls toilets I believe." Hermione let out a small gasp.**

"That was a forced kiss!" Draco protested, "her parents kept harassing us..." He groaned and covered his face with his hands, fighting tears of frustration. Snape seemed completely convinced that Lucius would kill him on sight...but would he? Maybe if he just went and talked it out then everything could be explained...

"Professor, why do you care so much about my life?" Draco frowned, "you've always looked out for /me/, but you don't seem to have any connection to my family. How did you become my godfather?" He had wanted to ask that for a long time and now he finally had the right opportunity.

**"I was a very close friend of your mother while we attended Hogwarts. We dated on and off for five years, that was until her arranged marriage to Lucius was announced," Snape informed him with a slight sigh as he rubbed his temples.**

**"Should I leave you two alone?" Hermione asked looking to Snape, who gave a sharp nod. Hermione sighed and stood up, walking out the room closing the door gently behind her.**

"You dated my mother?" Draco asked weakly, surprised that the uptight, and even sometimes snobby woman would have gone for someone like Snape, "wasn't she...rude to you?" He'd seen Narcissa be nasty and sharp with men even more handsome then his father. How had the grumpy potions professor managed to have a shot?

He watched Hermione leave with a sinking feeling in his stomach. Why couldn't she be here for this? It wasn't like she didn't already know everything that was going on. It seemed she knew even more then he did...

**Snape could only let out a small chuckle at what the young boy had said. "No actually. Before she married Lucius she was quite bright and funny, she could even make myself smile and laugh like I didn't have a care in the world," he said sadly before shaking his head lightly, "but that is in the past Draco. We now must focus on your future."**

"And what future will that be, sir?" Draco asked softly, "one where you hand me over the our lord to die?" He couldn't imagine his mother as a bright and funny person. She was always so quiet and sad all the tight. When he was a little boy she had been more outgoing and less terrified to speak her mind. Lucius had beaten that out of her soon enough...

**Snape sighed. "As you're probably well aware by now Draco, I am not loyal to Voldemort. That's right, I'm not," he said to the shocked look on the boy's face as Snape basically confirmed everything Hermione had said. "I joined the deatheaters when I was not much older then you...I quickly learnt my mistake when I was ordered to torture and kill a muggle family." **

"What did you do?" Draco whispered, knowing that he wouldn't be able to do such a thing. How was Snape even able to continue making Voldemort think he was on their side if he hadn't done it...He must have...

**"You must already know that I went through with it Draco. I had to. Otherwise Voldemort would have killed Narcissa with you inside since at the time she was the only thing that I cared about," Snape rubbed his temples again briefly. "I still have nightmares about it Draco. I plead to you, never kill an innocent person. It will haunt you for the rest of your life."**

"Why would he have killed Narcissa if you didn't go through with it?" Draco asked in a shaky voice, cringing as he heard that Snape had tortured the family, "I mean, she was Lucius' wife...right?" This was so much information all at once that he never would have guessed in a million years. Snape could probably tell from his shocked face that he had blindly believed any lies his father and Voldemort fed him.

**"Because, that's the type of person that Voldemort is. He loves the sight and smell of blood and he loves to play games with people's minds." Snape leant forward slightly leaning on his desk. "He also knew that by killing Narcissa, Lucius still wouldn't falter in following him to the very end of his days. Your father is a very obedient servant…"**

"But you would falter," Draco nodded slowly. He had never imagined his professor to have a soft spot for his mother... It was kind of weird. His chest hurt at the idea that his own father wouldn't hesitate to kill him or let Voldemort murder his mother and Lucius' wife... Evil was a disgusting thing. "Professor, I don't think I want to follow Voldemort anymore," Draco shuddered, looking down at his hands, "if I haven't received the mark yet...am I free?"

**Snape shook his head lightly. "I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that Draco. Since you're the son of Lucius you have been promised to Voldemort as a future deatheater since before you where born," Snape told him, "not to mention that Voldemort wants you dead now. I'm afraid even if you don't want to, the only option open for you is to stay protected by the order."**

Draco sighed and shook his head. "I think that trusting my life to them would be like throwing meat to a pack of wolves," he grumbled, "you think Potter or Weasel will be so eager to protect me from anything? Hell, they'd probably set me up to be caught and murdered. I still think I should try and speak to my mother at least. There has to be something she can do." He sat up straighter in his chair and looked Snape square in the eye. "My whole life I have worked to make my father proud and I have failed. I want to at least see what Narcissa thinks of all this."

**Snape gave him a smile. "Your mother is already in protection. She had been placed in it the moment that Lucius escaped from prison. I am sorry that I didn't tell you before hand but I'm afraid it was necessary. That is why Lucius was furious when he came to see you. She is staying at the orders' headquarters...causing quite a stir the last time I checked in." He then raised his wand and pointed it to the door, which suddenly flew open and Hermione came tumbling in.**

**"As you know Ms. Granger, we've finished discussing the private things. You may come back in," Snape said calmly. Hermione stood up and looked at them sheepishly.**

Draco jumped a little as Hermione fell through the open doorway and rolled his eyes. The stupid know-it-all wanted to hear everything, even the things that didn't concern her. "Nice of you to drop in," he smirked, still looking quite shaken up at everything he had just heard.

"Can I go see my mother, then?" he asked hopefully, needing to hug someone. It was hard to hear all of this and not break down. His own father wanted him dead and Snape wasn't even on the side that he thought. What /else/ was he oblivious too?

"Oh, and anything else I should know while I'm being a completely oblivious idiot?" he added bitterly, looking defiantly at Snape.

**"Yes many things," Hermione said brightly finding this a good time to insult him.**

**"Ms. Granger," Snape warned as Hermione sat back down. **

**"Sorry, Professor," she said meekly before sighing. "Well Draco, one thing you need to know...which isn't as obvious as the other things you've missed, is the fact that you need to gain the trust of the secret keeper of the orders' hideout before you can go there," she smiled.**

Draco shot Hermione a pointed glare and shifted in his seat. He had to gain the trust of someone in the order? How the bloody hell was he supposed to do that? The bunch of prats already had it in for him. "Sir, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly is the secret keeper?"

**Hermione chuckled slightly and Snape sighed. "Well, he will need some convincing wont he, Hermione. I leave that to you," Snape said waving his hand, looking almost bored. **

**"Okay," Hermione smiled. "Oh and Draco…the secret keeper is Harry."**

"WHAT?!" Draco flipped, "that's it! I quit! You can all bloody go to hell if you think I can convince Potter that I'm trustworthy!" He pointed an accusing finger at Hermione. "Granger here made him think we were dating and he had the hots for her so now Potter hates me even more!" Throwing his hands up in surrender, Draco stalked towards the door, planning to lock himself in his dorm bathroom for the remainder of the year. He would have more luck convincing his father not to kill him, then convince Potter that he was on 'their' side now.

**"Draco!" she huffed, quickly moving between the door and him, "settle down! You do want to see your mother don't you? I know that she wants to see you. She misses you Draco."**

**Biting her lip thoughtfully, she pleaded with her eyes for him to just listen for a moment. "I can get Harry to give in to you, don't worry about that. And besides, we aren't actually dating so I can date him, which I will. I'll just tell him that Snape asked me a favor to find out where your loyalties lie. Now that I know…you get the point."**

"You want to date /him/?" Draco spat, looking disgusted, "ugh, I don't think I want your help thanks." He did want to see his mother though...more then anything. He wanted to hug her and make sure she was all right.

"Whatever," he sighed, "I don't care. Just please make him let me see my mother." He glanced to Snape before shoving past Hermione and trudging towards his room. Blaise was going to hate him now too.

**"Stubborn, egotistical, bloody serpent," she muttered under her breath glaring after Malfoy. Once the boy had gone, Hermione sighed and looked towards Professor Snape. "You really should have told him the rest of the story...," she said softly, watching Snape nod reluctantly. **

**"It would have been too much for him to take in at the moment." He suddenly removed his pleasant expression and put the one of Severus Snape, deatheater, back on. "Ms. Granger, I do believe you're still standing in my office. Do you want me to take points from Gryffindor?"**

**Hermione chuckled. "No Professor, just leaving," she said before leaving Snape alone.**

Draco had no idea where to now, but he definitely didn't feel like going to class at all. It had to be nearly lunchtime by now anyway and he only wanted to hide and trying and think through all the things he'd learned. Feeling an ache in the pit of his stomach, he knew that he had to stop thinking about his father or he'd cry. That was the last thing he needed. To sit here and bawl his eyes out cause 'daddy' didn't hesitate to do away with him...

"Draco?" Pansy's surprised voice came, much to his dismay. He turned just in time to get a face full of black, silky hair as Pansy crushed him in a tight hug. "Oh Dray, I heard about Lucius," she whispered, burying her face in his neck, "I can't believe that lies they're saying about you...but...if they're true you know I would stay by you no matter what, right?" She pulled back and pouted up at him, seeming to completely forget the fact that he had said he was dating Hermione.

"It's fine, really," he grumbled, pushing her off. He preferred to suffer alone.

"Let me cheer you up," Pansy smirked, trailing her fingertips down his arm suggestively. Draco swatted her away, but she only came back, kissing at his neck and ears when he turned his back to her. It wasn't fair. From dating, Pansy knew all the places that made him weak in the knees and when she whispered the spell that opened his shirt and made his pants drop, he protested, but his heart really wasn't in it.

"Pansy, we're in the bloody hallway," he whispered with a soft groan as she backed him into the wall. This wasn't fair! He couldn't fight against these kinds of weapons.

**Hermione sighed and leant against the wall briefly as she thought about what to do. She then remembered the...rather heated kiss that her and Draco had shared and she wanted to know what had possessed him to lean down and kiss her like that... She sighed touching her lips lightly, not really sure what to think anymore. She did however know that she had to speak to Malfoy so she started moving down the hallway looking for him. Eventually she reached him and let out a strangled noise. **

**"Bloody hell!" she exclaimed. "I could have lived without seeing that leech on you Malfoy...at least she isn't undressed yet," she said in disgust as she slowly backed away.**

He jumped at the sound of Hermione's voice and mouthed the word 'help' at her as he continued to fend off Pansy's advances. It was getting harder to protest and he figured she was starting to use her other spells she kept up her sleeve. She had researched ones causing lust and passion to be able to seduce men better and confessed it to Draco after using one on him. He could already feel his grip on reality slipping as his body began to heat up.

"Pansy!" he frowned, "using spells is cheating!" She grinned cheekily and winked over at Hermione as if to say 'when I do this to him he doesn't want you'. This was her way of 'winning' Draco back.

**Help?! How the bloody hell was she supposed to help him? She then came up to them and shoved Pansy away. "Low blow Parkinson, but I don't need to put spells on him to get the same reaction." She smirked at Pansy before taking her place kissing Draco hard, pretty much a lot like how she had when they had been at her home...though something was different this time. Oh that's right...Draco was half naked and this was the first time that Hermione started the kiss. Closing her eyes, she silently pleaded Draco to go along with it.**

Draco felt his knees threatening to give out as Hermione's kiss sent shivers through him. Didn't she realize the magic didn't stop until someone said the counter spell? He relaxed a little and slid his arms around Hermione, kissing her deeply and definitely more intimately then a simple 'help' kiss called for. His mind was screaming for someone to stop him and he finally broke away from the Gryffindor, stepping away from her so he was between the two women.

He held out an arm towards each of them to keep them from coming any closer and breathed heavily, looking quite the spectacle with his shirt mostly off and his pants around his ankles. "No one...come...close," he panted, trying to get a hold of himself, "and you-" He glared at Pansy, "-take the spells off. NOW." He was practically shaking with the effort that it took not to shove Hermione back up against the wall again. Granger! Not even Pansy... His body wanted Granger... Gross. "Please hurry," he pressed, closing his eyes.

**Hermione chuckled slightly. Of course she knew the spell wouldn't come off just because someone new was kissing Draco, but it was well worth seeing Pansy's reaction. "Draco, the spell…it doesn't only effect you but also the female that you want...to well you know," Hermione breathed with a small smirk. She gazed at him with a fire in her eyes, looking like she was about to pounce on him again. She then looked to Pansy. **

**"Guess your spells are backfiring." **

"Shut up you stupid mudblood," Pansy snapped, looking quite crushed as she countered the spells she had on Draco. He didn't really want /that/ girl, did he? She sniffled pitifully and moved to his side again, touching his arm gently.

"You...don't really want Hermione, do you Draco?" she asked softly, her eyes widening as her bottom lip puckered out in a pout.

Draco sighed and pulled up his pants, trying to hide the effects that the spells had on him. He was flustered enough without these questions! "Just drop it, Pans," he said sharply, beginning to button his shirt as well.

**Hermione stood up straight and cleared her throat, straightening her clothes. "Well that was great as always, but must move on," she smirked at Draco. Grinning innocently at Pansy, she continued down the hallway with a small bounce in her step as she went around the corner. "He's too good," she muttered in annoyance, glaring at the floor as she put her hands in her pockets. She really did hope that Harry was a better kisser then Draco...**

Draco leaned back against the cool stone wall and closed his eyes. Why did kissing Granger start this reaction in him? It made no sense. Maybe it was the whole 'you want what you can't have'. Or he had just gone mad... Of course, he'd never even dare consider the possibility that she was a smart and pretty young woman that he could be attracted to.

"You arse," Pansy shrilled, hitting him on the chest before she stormed off to get away from him, tears starting down her face. No matter what she did, Hermione always seemed to win now. What had happened to Draco getting bored of her and coming crawling back?

The blonde Slytherin slid down to the floor in a sitting position and inhaled deeply, holding the breath for a moment before he let it slowly out. Merlin, he needed to get out of this place. Somewhere /away/ from girls.

**Hermione pushed Draco out of her mind...well tried to as she took a deep breath, walking towards the Gryffindor tower. Walking into the common room her eyes scanned and eventually landed on Harry. She walked over to him and stopped in front of him. "Harry I'm sorry about everything that's happened…and I was wondering if we could talk...privately," she asked him softly. **

**Harry looked up at her, startled, before giving a nod. "Sure, Hermione."**

Draco decided that the one place he would be safe from women was in the air. He would go flying. Avoiding the groups of students that were heading down to lunch, Draco headed out to the quidditch fields and grabbed a broom from storage. It wasn't his usual top of the line broom, but it would do. He kicked off and circled about a little, smiling down at a pretty fifth year Hufflepuff that was watching him.

She waved him down after a few more spins and he hovered just off the ground, smiling slightly at her. "Can I help you with something?" he raised his eyebrows, brushing sweaty locks of hair from his eyes.

"I've been wanting to do this since third year," she giggled, leaning up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.

"Whoa now, what are you doing?" he frowned, forgetting that he was supposed to be the 'sex king' or something like that.

"I was thinking...I mean I've never...but I wanted you...and...please don't make me say it," the girl blushed, looking at her feet.

"Here?" Draco chuckled, catching on to what she wanted with a look of disbelief. What was going on? Women were throwing themselves at him left, right, and center.

"In the change room," she replied breathlessly, not seeming to care that Draco didn't even know her name as she dragged him off the broom and towards the door to the inside. He sighed and figured that someone really wanted him to get laid. Who was he to argue?

**Hermione and Harry went into the boys' dormitories since no one was up there at the moment and she turned and looked at him. "Me being with Draco was all a lie Harry. We never slept with each other...we kissed once or twice but that was only to keep up appearances." **

**Harry looked at her started. "Why on earth would you lie about something like that?" Harry demanded.**

**"Well...Snape asked me to find out his true loyalties," she lied softly as she looked at him. "And I have now, he doesn't want to be a deatheater Harry, he just wants his mother to be safe. So can you please let him in so he can see his mother? The only person he cares for?" she asked him hopefully before reaching up and kissing his cheek softly and then the tip of his nose. **

**A little push in the right direction didn't harm anyone. Harry let out a sigh and nodded, "as long as you promise not to 'date' him again, I guess I can arrange something."**

**Hermione let out a squeal and clung to him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much Harry," she said before pulling back and kissing him hard on the lips, like she had Draco. However Harry didn't really know what to do in return and just...flopped his tongue around a bit in her mouth. Hermione pulled back tears brimming. "Sorry Harry - not really feeling well," she stated before running out the room and locking herself in the bathroom taking deep breaths. **

**Harry was a crap kisser. Draco was a good kisser. Draco was a better kisser then Harry. **

**She pulled out her wand now crying slightly as she put a silencing spell on the bathroom before activating the spell on the locket.**

**"DRACO MALFOY!" she yelled as well as sobbed at the same time. "It's all your fault you insensitive bastard!" she cried. "You're too much of a good bloody kisser and Harry's crap and I couldn't even /stand/ kissing him and it's all your fault Malfoy!" she sobbed, continuing to ramble on not even noticing that she was interrupting something.**

Draco jumped as Hermione's angry voice suddenly echoed in his mind, groaning as the girl tossed both their clothes to the side. Why now? Why /her/? "Granger I'm kind of...uh...in the middle of something," he whispered, letting out a small sound of pleasure as the girl went to work. How was he supposed to hide what he was doing while the minx screamed at him? Should he just tell her to piss off until he was finished here? No...she was crying. Bloody hell.

The girl climbed on top then and leaned down to kiss him as she giggled and played with his hair. How anyone could giggle in the middle of what they were doing, he had no idea. Strange girl.

"Granger? Hermione?! Hello? Don't do this," he pleaded, trying to get her to listen to him. Obviously she'd already blocked him out again.

"Who are you talking to?" the girl frowned, stopping her movements as she frowned down at the guy who was supposed to be the best shag in the school. So far he hadn't done much of anything.

Draco felt terrible doing this since by this point they were already in the middle of shagging, but he knew Hermione was somewhere, alone and crying, because of him. He really shouldn't have cared, but he couldn't let her cut off their connection without giving him a chance to scream back at her!

"I'm sorry, I can't do this," Draco apologized, wincing as he was suddenly slapped across the face.

"You sick arse!" she huffed, "you could have had the decency to say something BEFORE we started!" Throwing one of Draco's shoes at his head, the girl gathered her things and stalked off to the girls' change rooms to be away from him.

"When will this end?!" he growled in frustration, still unsatisfied and now Granger was all pissy at him again as well. Trying the spell that he had used before to start listening in to the locket, Draco listened hard. Would it work?

**Unfortunately it did work since Hermione had never removed the spell's she just used them herself now. She was curled up in the bathroom as her body continued to rack with sobs the occasional muttered word being heard such as 'bastard' and 'ferret' which could obviously only be one person 'kissing' and 'potter'...as well as the occasional 'whore'. **

**So obviously, she was muttering about the same things she had just yelled at Draco not having realized that he was listening again.**

"Granger?" he said softly, "hello? I'm...I mean...I made her go..." This had to be one of the most awkward conversations he'd had with her so far. "And you can't just scream things at me randomly and then make it so I can't defend myself," he huffed, hoping she was listening. He felt kind of silly though and was glad that she couldn't see him since he was pacing in the change room, still completely starkers.

**"Oh I'm so pleased for you Malfoy," she snapped. "I bet it was some pretty little blonde girl two years younger then you wanting to loose her virginity right?" she asked him before another sob came against her will. Pounding could briefly be heard on the door as well as Harry's voice pleading for her to come out but she ignored it. **

"She asked me to! In fact, dragged me right off my bloody broom!" he snapped right back, "and she was a red head, if you must know." He crossed his arms over his chest and stopped pacing, wondering why he was defending himself to her. Stupid Potter was there again, he could hear him. "What's this about Potter and me anyway? The screaming was so loud I couldn't really make it out." Snatching up his clothes, he dressed quickly and headed back out to his broom again. If he was flying while he spoke to Granger then at least it would cool his temper.

**"Oh…," she said, her sobs becoming less and less now. "Well, I apologized to him and got him to accept you. He'll let you into the order so you can see your mother...and then of course since I had to say that I fancied him to get him to accept and I kissed him," she said softly pausing for a moment. **

**"It was terrible and it's all your fault."**

"How is it MY fault?!" Draco demanded, kicking off from the ground hard enough to leave footprints in the earth. It seemed that everything was Draco Malfoy's fault somehow lately. Maybe it was a new trend. Blame Malfoy. Sighing as he flew up high on the grounds, Draco closed his eyes and did a few dangerous maneuvers, wondering who would care if he fell.

**"Because! You're such a bloody good kisser!" she complimented...in an insulting voice, which really didn't make sense. "One moment," she told him as she removed the silencing charm and told Harry that she was still wasn't very well and then pretended to vomit as she put the silencing charm back on. Harry's shouts and banging died down a bit and Hermione started speaking to Draco again as if nothing had happened. "His tongue kind of just...flopped around."**

"I'm…sorry?" Draco said in exasperation, "you're angry with me for being a good kisser? Honestly! Of all the- ah!" He dodged a tree, realizing he was a little off course from arguing. That wouldn't have ended well. "And that's bloody disgusting! I don't want to hear about Potter's tongue! Keep talking like that and I'll vomit too..." Draco grumbled something about 'crazy women' and dove for the ground, deciding at the last minute that he really should pull up. "If you'd like I can throw myself off the broom," he offered, "or just not miss a tree next time."

**Hermione sighed and rested her head against the wall. "Draco what are we?" she asked him suddenly in confusion. "I mean...obviously we still dislike each other but...it's different. I was upset and you were the first person I went too...even though you were currently shagging some random bimbo," she said annoyed.**

"What do you mean what are we?" he snorted, "you're an insufferable know-it-all and I'm the sexiest man alive. It's not hard to remember, Granger." He knew what she really meant, but there was no way he was approaching that subject. He was too confused about it, himself, at the moment and just avoiding it was easier. "I guess you just like yelling at me the most," he shrugged, knowing she couldn't see it. He made a few rude faces just to make himself feel better and chuckled.

**"Don't make rude faces at yourself Malfoy, anyone could be walking past," she sighed as she rubbed her temples not even really aware of what she had just said, but from hearing his chuckle it was the first thing that had just slipped out her mouth. **

**"So, if I remember correctly, you said you made her go away? Why?" Why was she started to care at all? It didn't used to matter if Draco was off shagging some airhead…**

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Not much of a cliffhanger, but we're stopping here just for length purposes. Plus more fun things are coming up next chapter and we wanting to make you wait. :P Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter and please let us know what you thought! Thanks! 


	10. Taken

Chapter ten! We're into double digits now! And only halfway through the first part of this story… This chapter is a lot about the conflicting emotions that Hermione and Draco have towards each other when they've grown so used to hating each other and now, suddenly, they're almost forced together in a friendly way. Of course since they're both stubborn and hot headed it makes for a lot of interesting fights too… ::winks:: Enjoy the chapter!

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Last Chapter:** "Don't make rude faces at yourself Malfoy, anyone could be walking past," she sighed as she rubbed her temples not even really aware of what she had just said, but from hearing his chuckle it was the first thing that had just slipped out her mouth. **

**"So, if I remember correctly, you said you made her go away? Why?" Why was she started to care at all? It didn't used to matter if Draco was off shagging some airhead…**

:-:

Draco froze and peered around the quidditch pitch suspiciously. "Can you see me now or something?" he muttered, not liking that idea. How did she know what he was doing? "And why does it matter if I made her go away? Like you said, she's just some bimbo." Something was up. She was trying to get him to say something that she wanted to hear or accidentally confess something he wasn't sure about yet.

**"No I can't see you, it's the first conclusion I came to hearing you chuckle," she told him simply. "Hang on where are you?" she asked, standing up and going over to the window. Pushing it opened she looked around and spotted him. "/Now/ I can see you." **

**She had dropped the subject of the bimbo completely.**

Draco scanned his surroundings again, but didn't see any sign of Hermione. "Okay, now you're just being a brat," he rolled his eyes, flying straight up in the air again and diving towards the ground. The best times were when you came so close to crashing that your feet skimmed the grass. He grinned and narrowly avoided breaking his neck as he pulled up in time and spun easily around one of the large posts holding up the stands.

**"Oh my god, that's horrible!" Hermione exclaimed, still watching him from the window, her face having gone pale. "Aren't you scared that you'll like…crash? Get hurt? Large amounts of pain or fall from high places?" she asked him.**

"Bloody hell, you are spying on me," Draco frowned, flying up again along the castle wall, "where are you?" He ignored her questions with a smirk and shook his head. It wasn't horrible at all, it was glorious. There wasn't anything better then the feeling of being on a broom and flying, the wind whipping your hair back from your face. "Tell me or I'll jump off," he warned, standing up on the broom handle.

**"Okay, no don't jump," she said, covering her eyes before peeking. "I'll tell you," she sighed. "Look to the Gryffindor tower, second window up. I'm sitting next to the window of the girls bathroom," she told him rolling her eyes slightly. She liked this pendant thing. It was pretty as well as the extra bonus of being extremely handy at times.**

Draco flew to where she had said and hovered next to the window, glaring down at her tearstained face. "You look like hell," he smiled pleasantly, sitting sideways on the broom as if he had no fear of plummeting down towards the earth. Maybe now she'd stop yapping since he was right here.

**"Gee thanks, and you look like you just got half shagged and disappointed a fifteen year old girl," she snapped, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly before looking at the broom with narrowed eyes. "I hate flying...I don't know how you can stand it...actually it's not the flying part it's the heights part...okay and a little of the flying," she sighed, stopping her rambling.**

Draco's eyes narrowed at her comment and he raised an eyebrow when she said she was afraid to fly. "Oh...really?" the blonde boy smirked, straddling the broom again and yanking her out through the window before she could stop him. Hermione dangled out in the air, held up by nothing but his hands for a moment before he lifted her onto the broom in front of him. "You know the best way to cure your fears is to face them," he smirked, shooting forward in the air once he was sure he had a grip on her.

**Hermione let out a scream and clung to Draco for dear life, her face buried into his chest so she couldn't see a thing. "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," she chanted over and over as she basically squeezed the life out of him, not daring to let go even an inch. "Take me back, Malfoy!" she demanded though...in the position she was in one really couldn't demand much.**

"Not until you look!" he shouted over the sound of the wind hitting them. Flying was no fun if you just hid your face the whole time. What did she think would happen if she looked? He wasn't going to drop her... Draco chuckled and wondered what she'd do if he pretended to drop her. "If you don't open your eyes and look then I'm going to dump you off," he warned flatly, starting to tilt the broom.

**Her head instantly shot up her eyes glaring into his. "I hate you," she snarled at him before she gasped as something out of the corner of her eye caught her interest. They were pretty high up and the view over the lake and the forbidden forest was just simply amazing and she briefly forgot about the fact that she was really high on a broom with none other then Malfoy.**

Draco watched the angry look on her face melt into one of amazement and smirked knowingly. He was always right. "See, I told you," the cocky Slytherin declared, "flying is glorious. You'd be crazy to not want to try it." His hair was blowing about like crazy and hers was no better. The auburn curls kept whacking him in the mouth and eyes and he made a mental note to make Granger put her hair up if she ever went flying.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes you're right...for once," she added on the end with a chuckle before turning her head slightly to look at him. She jumped slightly in surprise to find her face was very, very close to his. **

**Unfortunately however, jumping back so much also meant falling off. As she started falling to the ground her eyes locked on Malfoy, too shocked to even scream.**

"I wasn't serious about dumping you off!" he exclaimed, swearing as he darted after her. Luckily Hermione was a lot bigger then a snitch and Draco flew under her easily, catching the girl with an 'oof' and barely staying on the broom himself.

"The thing...with flying...," he breathed with a smirk, "is that you have to be /on/ the broom." Snickering, he took a moment to let his heart slow down a little. If he hadn't caught her...

**"Oh shut up," she snapped, clinging onto him tighter then before if possible. "I'm never getting on one of this bloody contraptions again," she declared, her face once again hidden in his chest as she breathed heavily, trying to calm herself down from the shock of falling off Draco's broom. **

**"Thank you for catching me though."**

"I wouldn't have wanted to have to explain to Snape why you're splattered down there on the quidditch field," he smirked, as if he didn't save her because he wanted to, "and would you mind loosening the grip a little so I can /breathe/?"

He seemed far too amused with the whole situation and knew that Hermione was going to get annoyed with him pretty quick for making fun of her fear. Draco didn't care though. It was fun taking her flying and freaking her out.

**"Would you mind taking me back to the ground so /I/ can breathe," she retorted and just to annoy him tightened her grip more. She was too overcome by her fear of actually flying to realize that he was amused by everything that was happening. **

**She'd get him back though, once she found his fear.**

"Calm down, Granger," he said soothingly, pausing in midair to pry her off of him a little, "here, turn around." Before she could do anything about it, he'd lifted her like she weighed nothing and turned her so they were facing the same way. Smiling a little, he was glad to be able to breathe again, even if it meant he didn't have a girl clinging to him.

"Put your arms out," he instructed, sliding an arm around her waist.

**"You know you could at least pretend you struggled slightly lifting me," she muttered not knowing why she was annoyed at that fact. Oh probably because it was showing that he was stronger in brute force - which was obvious...but it annoyed her. He was better at something then her. **

**"What do you mean put my arms out?" she asked in an annoyed and stubborn tone.**

Draco rolled his eyes and sighed. She really wasn't going to cooperate. "Put them out to the sides, like you were flying without a broom. Trust me. Just do it." He wasn't sure if she /could/ trust him since he knew he wouldn't do it for her. Granger was going to hate him for this, but she had to try it.

**Hermione took a breath. "If you let me fall Malfoy, by merlin, I'll come back from the dead and haunt you for the rest of your miserable life," she told him in a way that seemed she had no doubt that she'd be able to do it.**

**She then took a breath and put her arms out to the sides like he had said.**

"Now close your eyes," he grinned, sliding his hands up her sides to adjust her arms. He didn't want her throwing them off balance. Draco had done this once when he was alone, just thrown back his arms and closed his eyes, holding to the broom with nothing but his legs. It really did feel like you were flying.

He leaned his face forward, leaning it on her shoulder briefly to see if Granger had closed her eyes yet.

**Hermione did in fact close her eyes, however she could feel Draco's breath on the side of her face and his chin on her shoulder as he looked at her. "Stop looking at me, Malfoy and get it over and done with," she said obviously scared as hell at what he was about to do to her. Fear of the unknown...well basically, in this case it was known. This was Draco Malfoy and her on a broom and she could bet her life on the fact that he was about to go really, really fast towards the ground. Or something along those lines. **

**Amazingly she could be wrong occasionally. **

He sat back again with a roll of his eyes and made a face behind her back. The frizzhead was even bossy when she had no control over the situation. He didn't doubt she'd be telling God how to run heaven when she died. "All right, geez. You'd think I was getting ready to throw you off the broom or something." He snickered and flew forward, not fast, but not terribly slow.

His arm stayed firmly around her waist to prevent her from slipping as all and he grinned as the wind rushed past them, wishing he could see Hermione's face. Maybe he was just scaring the hell out of her. Oh well, either way he would be satisfied.

**Actually, Hermione surprisingly wasn't scared. She could feel the rush of wind against her face and well, simply put, it felt amazing. Another thing she didn't want to admit was the fact that she actually did feel safe when /Malfoy's/ arm was firmly around her waist. She wasn't scared of falling. It had been her fault when she fell after all.**

**She let out a small laugh.**

"Was that a laugh I just heard coming out of you, miss tight-ass of the year?" he smirked, dipping a little closer to the ground and back up again in a steady motion. Sudden movements sometimes felt a little freaky and he didn't want to scare Hermione when she was doing so well. Letting his gaze drift out over the ground, the blonde sighed.

"I used to come up here and do this whenever my father upset me," Draco whispered, going low enough to ground that his feet could almost touch and taking his arm off her stomach. If she fell now it wasn't even high enough to bruise. Of course, she didn't know that...

**Hermione's eyes snapped open as he removed his arm. She was about to yell at him but saw how close to the ground they were and held her tongue, putting her arms down to hold onto the broomstick. She didn't feel all that secure even if it was only a short fall.**

**"Amazingly, Malfoy, I do know how to laugh. I just haven't had much reason to lately...since Dumbledore's death everything has changed," she said softly looking over her shoulder at him briefly, not really sure what to say about his father.**

Draco sighed and landed easily, letting the broom hover as he helped Hermione down. Everything /had/ changed, most of it for the worst. In fact, he was putting them in danger just by being out here. At least Granger seemed to have forgotten about why she was crying and hiding in a bathroom. Flying did that to you, cleared your mind...

"Well, you're free," he muttered, grabbing up the broom to put it away with the others, "now you don't have to touch this man whore ever again." For some reason, he felt a little annoyed now.

**"Well at least you know how to kiss and now you know you're better then Harry at something." She knew that Draco was annoyed - served him right...though she didn't really understand why he was annoyed. It kind of worried her that she kept bringing up how much she enjoyed his kiss. She sounded like one of his love-sick followers. Something then clicked and she started giggling insanely.**

**"Harry's...probably...still...slamming...on...the...door," she said between laughs.**

"Want me to fly you back up to your lover boy?" Draco asked sarcastically, tossing the broom back into the shed so he clearly had no intentions of doing any such thing. Served Harry right for being such a self-righteous bastard. He always got everything handed to him on a silver platter.

"And I was already better then him at everything, Granger, so that doesn't come as a surprise to me," the blonde shrugged, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the broom shed door.

**"Oh so that's why you've never won a Quidditch game against him?" Hermione asked with a tilted head as she looked at him. "Did you feel a little pity for him and decide to let him win every single time?" she asked before pausing slightly with a small frown. "I can hear giggling...," she said looking around to see if she could see anyone. **

**Then from the other side of the broom shed walked Lavender and Ron. Hermione narrowed her eyes at them.**

"Get stuffed, Granger," he muttered, the quidditch comment hitting a sore spot. He had gotten in trouble enough already for failing to beat Harry out as a seeker and had to listen to everyone tell him he'd only bought his way onto the team. He really was good! Just...not as good as Potter it seemed. Him and his 'freak accident luck' that always got him the snitch.

He glanced up as the sickening couple emerged, giggling and whispering. Draco used to wonder what people saw in Lavender until the day she tried to throw herself at him. She was easy. And that was pretty much all she had going for her. Her somewhat pretty face could only do so much for her non-existent personality and horrid everything else. "Fancy meeting you here Weasel," he sneered, "I see you have your little whore with you now."

**Ron sneered at Draco. "I see you've got your little whore with you too," he retorted making Lavender giggle at him calling Hermione a whore. Hermione's eyes were hard and slightly glazed over as she clenched her hands at her side, biting her bottom lip slightly as she tried to keep a hold on her temper. She was bigger then this, she wouldn't let them get to her.**

**But they did get to her, and she couldn't help it.**

"My whore?" Draco raised his eyebrows, "Hermione doesn't /belong/ to anyone and she's never even given me the opportunity to shag her. Unlike your blonde bimbo there/she's/ thrown herself at me numerous times. Too bad I don't like the fickle, brainless ones. Makes me feel dirty." He chuckled as Lavender's face went red and looked arrogantly down his nose at the pair.

"And I wasn't aware that a woman became a whore when she wouldn't sleep with your revolting freckled arse," he snorted, running a hand through his hair. Why the hell was he defending Granger? Probably because he loathed these two more then her. Whatever the reason, he'd already said it, so it was too late to pretend he didn't give a shit.

**Hermione looked at Draco shocked. Was he.../defending/ her? Maybe...either he cared about her or he just wanted to piss of Ron. She was going for the second option at the moment. She smirked slightly at Lavender who had gone to glaring at her.**

**"Maybe not, but she slept with Harry," Ron sneered. **

**"I bloody well did not! I got turned off just kissing him," Hermione snapped, Ron glared at her and started advancing about to say something. Before those words could come out however, one of Hermione's clenched fists went smack bang right into his nose with a satisfying crack.**

"**Well I feel better, coming Draco?" she asked without waiting for an answer she started to walk back to the castle.**

**"Fucking slag!" Ron yelled clutching at his nose.**

Draco winked at Lavender as she bent to comfort her swearing boyfriend and strolled off after Hermione. He wasn't waiting around for Weasel to recover from the punch. He'd had enough fighting for the day.

"Tell me, Granger," Draco said with a slightly annoyed tone, "why does everyone think you've slept with Potter?" Maybe she really had and she was just embarrassed to tell anyone. After all, Harry seemed pretty damn smitten for a guy who'd only gotten a 'kiss'.

**"Everyone thinks I've slept with Ron too. I don't see you asking me that," she told him as she looked at him.**

**"I'm a virgin, Malfoy. I can assure you that I haven't slept with Harry," she sighed before looking away again. Great, she had just told him she was a virgin. He was probably going to laugh at her or something. Was it that bad that she wanted to wait for someone important to her though? Someone she was comfortable giving it to? As she had said before, Ron wasn't exactly the type one could feel comfortable losing it to. He was too blunt and wasn't all that good at being a comfort... Harry well…he just wouldn't know what the hell to do if she took his kiss as an example.**

"Wow...," Draco whispered staring at her in surprise, "that's really...amazing. I mean, besides the 'everyone is doing it' factor, I thought you would have given in to one of those dumbass Gryffindors by now." He punched her shoulder lightly and grinned. "Good for you."

He didn't doubt that Hermione would have regretted it if she'd slept with any of her friends since Harry was too damn needy and Ron had the attention span of a gnat. Not many guys were actually careful with a girl, even if it was their first time. And they were never concerned with her enjoyment, just their own. Maybe she was even smarter then everyone believed. Hell, he'd thrown away his virginity so long ago he couldn't even remember it anymore.

**She looked at him surprise, "You didn't laugh or tease me?" she asked shocked, "are you sick?" She stopped and put her hand to his forehead. "Nope, ice cold as always," she grinned. She wasn't insulting him, she was teasing him playfully. She chuckled and turned around again starting to head towards the castle again. **

**"I'm not stupid. Even if I haven't tried I know most of the guys that I would consider wouldn't please me very much, so I decided to wait." **

"You know, not /all/ guys are like that," Draco scoffed, feeling his own forehead. She was making fun of him, wasn't she? Prat. Sliding his hands into his pockets, the blonde Slytherin glared at the ground with a sigh. It was going to take some getting used to, to be teased by Granger in a way that wasn't nasty and spiteful. It would honestly just be easier to avoid her.

**"Have you slept with any of them to give me concrete evidence that they aren't?" she asked dryly as she looked at him briefly. "I'll talk to Harry again, get him to give me the piece of paper with the order's address on it so you can find out where it is. As long as you get the set work done for your lessons McGonagall would have no problem letting you go and stay with your mother for a little while."**

"I've slept with Blaise," he smirked, "but not in the way you think. That's why I laughed when you called me a 'Zabini shagger'." He frowned for a moment, thinking, but there weren't many good prospects in their school. "I know I'm a fantastic shag, but I doubt you'd ever be so lucky," he smirked, not wanting to discuss him family right now. If he tried hard enough he could pretend that his father wasn't trying to kill him and his mother was happy and at home in the manor...

**"Well I was about to say Crabbe shagger but I didn't want to completely degrade you," she said simply with a small shrug, "I doubt anyone would want to sink that low." She gave a small shudder at the thought.**

**"And I don't want to shag you, so I guess I don't need the luck anyway."**

Draco smirked and threw an arm around her shoulders in a very out of character way. He felt like bugging her. "Oh come now, Granger, I think that deep down, every woman wants a piece of me. Even if it's just to see if the rumors are true..." He snickered and winked at her, knowing she hated this sort of behavior.

**She glared at him briefly before smiling sweetly. "Why would I want to do that? I know it's all a pack of lies. It's a just a reputation built on lies. Pansy is really the only one that wants to keep shagging you," she said putting her nose in the air and looking away. She wasn't giving in to him.**

He snatched his arm back, inhaling sharply. That little... How could she say something like that? Hermione seemed determined to batter his ego everyday until he felt so low that he doubted even Loony Lovegood would want him. "Nice to know you think so highly of me," he muttered, speeding up so she wouldn't be next to him any more. It was true though...Pansy was the only one who ever came back.

**"Oh come on," Hermione said following after him seeing that he had been insulted. "What did you want me to say? Yes, I want to shag the bloody daylights out of you?" she asked as she jogged back up to his side and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. **

"No," he snapped in frustration, "but you could be a little nicer sometimes you know. I /do/ have feelings." Despite popular belief...

He still refused to look at her as he tried to sooth his injured pride, but no matter what he did, he could only think of what a loser he was now. What had happened to being the all powerful Malfoy? Normally it was him with the smug look as Hermione stormed off.

**"Nicer?" she retorted, "Draco, did you ever stop to wonder /why/ I insult you? It's a defense so I don't get hurt, just like your insulting people is. So let me try this out on you for size. /You/ could be a little nicer sometimes you know, I do have feelings too," she told him, repeating what he had just said. "It works both ways Draco."**

"But normally I'm only nice to people I like," he said coldly, not interested in being her friend. It was bad enough that they were tolerating each other lately, now she wanted him to be 'nice'. Screw that. Draco didn't know why he felt so strongly that he shouldn't get close to Hermione, but he suspected he was afraid of the feelings he'd locked somewhere in the back of his mind. Any attraction or even kindness he felt towards her, he instantly put a stop to. A friendship with the Gryffindor was out of the question. Well...it had been. Was it really so bad now? They were on the same side now...and there was no Lucius to punish him for speaking to her...

**"Fine, continue to be a jerk and push people away. See if I care," she said, slightly hurt as she huffed and walked faster, wanting to get away from him. Did it ever occur to him that maybe at the moment she was just as alone as he was? Apart from having her family still intact, her friendships since Ron cheated on her and Draco found the note had gone down the drain. **

"I'm glad you don't care!" he shouted after her, moving to the stone wall of the castle and hitting it angrily. Stupid bloody woman! He was so caught up in his anger that he didn't even notice the black cloaked figure approaching him from the forbidden forest. Draco back was to the person and he was still grumbling under his breath all the insults he could think of towards Hermione to make himself feel better.

**Hermione was extremely frustrated that they couldn't even get along for more then two minutes and wondered why she had ever thought Draco could be nice in the first place. Glaring back over her should to insult him, the curly haired Gryffindor gasped at the sight of the deatheater heading towards Draco. "D-Draco! Behind you!" she yelped, frozen in place. In a moment it was going to be too late…**

"Ha, ha, very funny," Draco sighed, trying to block out Hermione's voice as he closed his eyes. Something about her frightened tone made him slowly turn though and check, just in case. At the sight of a figure running towards him, wand drawn, he gasped and shoved off the wall, running for the school.

Passing Hermione, he grabbed her hand and yanked her with him, glancing over his shoulder to see the person getting closer. "They're...catching...up," he panted, pulling on her arm again, "come on...Granger! Run faster!" He couldn't help it that he had longer legs, but if she kept going this slowly then they were going to be caught.

**Hermione let out a yelp as Draco latched onto her hand and yanked her in the direction she had been going in the first place. It felt like he had just pulled out her shoulder from the socket, he had yanked so hard. She glared at his back as he said to run faster. She held onto his hand tighter and tried running a little faster, after all, she was running pretty fast already. He was just more naturally fit and had longer legs then her. It wasn't her fault!**

Draco growled in frustration as he saw how close they were to the front doors, and yet far enough away that the cloaked figure could still get them if they didn't go FASTER. "Granger-" he started to snap when he heard a hissed 'avada kadevra'. "OH SHIT!" he swore, slamming himself into Hermione and tackling them both to the ground as green magic sizzled over the back of his head, so closely that he felt the heat. That one hadn't been aimed at him...

Just as fast as he had knocked them over, Draco sprang up again and pulled Hermione up with him, a panicked look on his face. "Go! Come on!" he pleaded, hoping he hadn't hurt Hermione when he knocked her down.

**Hermione groaned. He had basically knocked the wind out of her and not to mention her wrist was killing her. He could have tackled her a little more gently, but she was grateful towards him. She quickly stood up though when Draco did, still holding onto his hand for dear life. Like hell she would let go. If he didn't like it too bad. Her eyes widened when she saw the wand start to raise again and started sprinting towards the school again. This time it was her pulling him. **

Draco let out a sound of surprise as she started dragging him and easily kept up once he started to run again. She looked pained, like he had hurt her, but he figured it was better to injure Granger then let her die.

"Almost...there!" he said desperately, finally getting fed up and lifting Hermione in his arms, stumbling a little before he resumed his pace. A couple students were just coming outside and found themselves smashed out of the way as Draco Malfoy came barreling through and skidded to a stop in front the grand staircase. Quite a few people stared at them in surprise as he caught his breath, his 'mortal enemy' safely held in his arms. They had made it!

**Hermione was clinging to him shaking slightly. She had been so close to being murdered...the killing curse would have hit her if Draco hadn't tackled her to the ground. If she had her wits about her, she would have been amazed at the fact that he could run just as fast while carrying her at the same time. **

**"Is he gone?" she asked softly, "he didn't follow into the school?" The figure had very obviously been a he from the figure and she wondered if it was his father, but decided not to mention it.**

Draco seemed to come back to reality at her voice and set her down, stalking angrily to the front door and peering out with his wand drawn. Nothing. Other then the students he knocked out of the way, there was no one there.

"You should watch where you're going," the sixth year boy snapped, still checking his friend to make sure she was all right.

"Did you see him?" Draco asked, grabbing the boy by the front of his shirt and shaking him a little, "was anyone out here when I ran in?"

"N-No," he stammered, his eyes widening as he reconsidered how wise it had been to snap at this bigger boy.

Swearing, Draco dropped him and moved back inside Hogwarts. Well now what? Whoever that had been, they were gone now. Sighing heavily, the blonde made his way back to Hermione and banished the attention that was still on them with his steely glare. All the students went on about their business like they hadn't just been gaping at the pair. "Gone," he growled to Hermione, crossing his arms over his chest.

**Hermione gave a small nod as she hugged herself...so close. She looked at her wrist for a few moments and decided it looked a little odd. Probably broken. It hurt like hell but she was still a little too shaken to register the pain. **

**She then rather suddenly jumped up and tackle-hugged him. "Thank you, Draco…if you hadn't knocked me down I would be dead." **

Draco stumbled back a few steps, not expecting the sudden weight. "Bloody hell, Hermione! You almost knocked us down again." Sighing, he patted her back lightly as his arms went around her, looking up front the floor into Harry's angry eyes. What the hell?!

Harry yanked Hermione out of Draco's arms, holding her by her shoulders as he frowned. "You promised Hermione! You promised you wouldn't do this if I helped him!" His fingers were digging tightly into her arms and he was clearly /very/ jealous. That's what confused Draco the most. What made him such big competition?

**Hermione winced, struggling slightly trying to get his hands of her shoulders. "Harry...you're hurting me," she said softly as she looked up at him with wide eyes. "And I promised I wouldn't date him. I never promised I wouldn't hug him because he just saved my life," she told Harry before letting out a small gasp as his fingers got tighter on her shoulders. **

"Potter, back off," Draco growled, shoving him away from Hermione to examine her wrist. He had noticed her favoring it and the odd angle it was bent at. "We were almost killed getting back there and Granger is injured. This is no time to be thinking with your dick, she needs help." Draco could see Harry getting ready to fight back, but he simply sighed and lead Hermione away towards the hospital wing. Some friends she had.

**"Thank you...again, you seem to be in a saving mood today," she said softly, her good hand going up and rubbing one of her shoulders. Once out of the view of Harry, she pulled the corner of her shirt down slightly looking at her bare shoulder were purple fingerprints had started to appear. She sighed slightly and pulled the shirt back properly. **

"If everyone was doing their jobs properly, then you wouldn't need me," Draco frowned, "I just don't understand how those arses can go from your best friends to abusive assholes." He shook his head, wondering who else Granger had to look out for her. Her family was at home and her two best friends were suddenly missing in action. At the moment, she was no better off then he was.

**"I believe it started when Ron cheated on me," she muttered under her voice, "and then having you blackmail me didn't help the situation all that much." She sighed slightly. "Not to mention I've been completely out-casted by Gryffindor because of it," she said before shrugging lightly. **

**"And well, actually now that I've seen this side of them I don't really want to be friends with them. It's...strange." **

"They were probably just mad at you for dating me since I'm Slytherin and they all know I hate their guts," Draco shrugged, "I wouldn't get rid of /all/ of them just yet. Well...wait, yes /I/ would." He smirked and tried not to feel guilty for blackmailing her. In fact, that made everything his fault. His father being furious with him, Voldemort thinking he was a traitor and Harry being upset with Hermione...all because he'd done that to her.

"I really am an arse, aren't I?" he commented, not looking very sorry. He didn't plan for any of it to happen this way, it just did.

**Hermione gave a small shrug. "I'm not mad at you for it strangely enough. I expected that you would do something like that and I knew what I was getting into. It's my fault as much as it is yours." She winced slightly as she looked down at her wrist again. **

**"If you ever happen to tackle me again though try to not do it with all your weight."**

"I've never had a woman complain so much about me being on top of them," Draco remarked, smirking a little as they entered the hospital wing. He suspected that her wrist hurt a lot more then she was letting on, but he was just letting her act tough. Granger had her reasons for not being vulnerable to him, just like he would never want to seem weak to her.

Madam Pomfrey bustled over as they entered and fussed over Hermione's injury. "How on earth did you manage this, child?" she frowned, prodding it a little with her wand.

**"OW! Do you mind not prodding it please, it /is/ broken!" she snapped as she moved her wrist away from the prodding healer. "And I fell...with a lot of weight on top of me," she said dryly. **

**Madam Pomfrey clicked her tongue, "all the students get hurt these days. I say, this has to be one of the most dangerous schools..." Her voice trailed off as she went into the joining room to get something for the pain before she said the spell that would put it back in the right spot.**

Draco watched silently as the mediwitch put a small brace on Hermione's wrist to help it stay still while the bone mended. It was a quick process, but it always helped to be thorough. "Drink this and don't take the brace off until tomorrow," Madam Pomfrey instructed with a cheery smile, patting Hermione's shoulder as she gave her a small vial of potion that would numb the pain.

"So brave," Draco teased, smirking as he took a slight step back. He didn't want to get smacked again.

**Finally after drinking the horrid potion and basically getting thrown out the hospital wing, Hermione sighed and looked at her braced wrist. "She's way too happy for someone that sees kids in pain every day," she muttered before sighing.**

**"Unfortunately, I need to go to speak to Harry."**

"Good luck with that," Draco nodded, looking unsure if he was supposed to come with her or just bugger off. Assuming it was the latter, he gave her a small wave and started off for his dorm. Blaise may be there, but at least he would be able to be alone and think... Why would he have even considered that Granger wanted him to go with her? That was stupid.

**Hermione sighed softly, "Yeah bye," she said halfheartedly before turning and starting to head towards the Gryffindor tower. She was not looking forward to facing Harry alone she had to admit. She was scared of her former best friend and what he was capable of doing to her. She shouldn't be scared of Harry...she wasn't scared of Ron. She just hated him at the moment.**

**But Harry...**

Draco didn't end up making it to his room, switching course and going to the library instead. He knew that he was behind in his schoolwork since he had missed classes today, but for once, he didn't really care.

Why did he feel so down? This didn't make any sense. He was probably still a little shaken up from the attack. Grabbing a random book, Draco curled up on one of the couches and closed his eyes, pretending to read. He just needed to sit and think for a bit.

**"Harry look - the way I see it, all Draco wants to do is see his mother. Look on the bright side, if he's at the order headquarters with her, he isn't here with us," she told Harry who instantly took more of a liking towards the idea. She had been trying to convince him for the last twenty minutes or so.**

**Granted the first ten minutes had been explaining why she was hugging Draco...and why she wasn't in the girls bathroom. She made a small white lie about that however not wanting Harry to know about the locket Draco had given her for some reason. **

**"Okay - fine." Harry sighed finally. Pulling out some parchment, quill and ink he wrote down the address of the order. "But you owe me, Hermione...and I'm sorry about before...I was just so worried and angry...," he said softly. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek taking the piece of paper. **

**"It's okay, thank you!" She said before running out of the Gryffindor tower. **

**She clasped her hand around the locket, trying to see if she could activate it with out her wand. "Draco Malfoy," she tried, seeing if just his name would activate it while she clutched at it. **

**"Malfoy? Can you hear me?" she asked curiously.**

What Hermione didn't know was that Draco had gotten bored in the library and purposely turned on the spell so he could hear her. He had listened with a frown to her pleading and coaxing Harry into letting him go to the orders' hidden headquarters. Potter sure didn't trust him. He didn't blame him though since he still despised the prat.

Draco had really only been half listening though and jumped when Hermione said his name. For a moment he thought he'd been caught and she was angry, but then she asked if he could hear her.

"What's up Granger?" he asked in a bored tone, turning a few pages in the book since the librarian was giving him weird looks. Maybe because he had been reading the book upside-down for the first five or so minutes...

**"Either that worked or you already had the locket switched on," she muttered under her voice. "Anyway, I've convinced Harry to let you go. I've got the parchment here with the address written on it. I have to give it to you within half an hour. Where are you?" she asked him as she started walking down a random hallway.**

"Why half an hour?" he asked quietly, ignoring the fact that she'd guessed he was listening already, "does it count down and explode like in a secret mission?" He snickered and turned another page, still not reading. Maybe he didn't /want/ anyone to find him right now. Seeing her just made all this confusion even worse. He already couldn't think straight /before/ she showed up, now he didn't know how to feel about the people he had considered enemies for so many years.

**Hermione held in a small chuckle as she heard Madam Pince in the background as she told one of the children off, and changed course not speaking again until she was standing beside him. "No wonder people are looking at you weirdly Malfoy, do you even realize that the books upside down?" she asked him rolling her eyes as she moved around and pushed his legs off the seat, sitting down. "And yes, it does count down and explode actually. It'll do the same after you've finished reading it too."**

Draco nearly jumped out his skin as she suddenly spoke next to him and looked up at her in surprise. "How did you find me?" he frowned, looking rather annoyed, "you really are a bloody know-it-all..." He sighed and righted the book, shutting it as Hermione moved him to make room for herself. The note was going to explode?

"Uh, how is that in any way safe?" he whispered, "and in a library? Madam Pince is going to murder us if we cause an explosion in here..."

**"Well it's not really an explosion," she explained. "It'll just go up in flames, then turn to ash and fall to the ground," she told him with a small shrug, "and I heard Madam Prince telling someone off in the background." She handed the note to him. "Just read and make sure you remember it because it does no good if you can't remember the address." **

Draco snatched the piece of parchment from her hand and felt his heart beating nervously at the idea of seeing his mother. Would she be angry with him for being disloyal? It was his fault that Lucius was after both of them now and he felt really ashamed because of it. He never wanted anything to happen to his mother.

Suddenly, he realized he needed to read the stupid paper. His tired eyes scanned the address and repeated it in his mind until he was fairly sure he remembered it. "So...I guess you're all pretty glad to get rid of me, huh?" he smiled slightly, looking at the paper as it began to smoke and crumble into flames. The fire was cool against his palm though, which was strange.

**"Well, Harry is," she said as she leant back on the seat giving a small yawn. Was she happy to finally get rid of him? The answer a few weeks ago would have been a straight up yes but as much as she tried to deny it, something had changed between them... She felt safe when she was with Draco, no matter how much he insulted her or acted like he hated her. When shove came to push and she was in danger...he helped her. **

"Only Harry?" Draco asked slowly, giving her a strange look. What did that mean? She wanted him here? "Worried that your meat shield will be gone and then someone might actually hit /you/ with a spell instead?" He smirked, but felt it falter slightly as he realized that was true. Who was going to be watching out for her life if he was gone? Harry didn't know about the death threat...

**She chuckled slightly. "Meat shield, that's an interesting name Malfoy," she said looking at him with a raised eyebrow before shrugging. "No it's not that. If I get hit with a spell I get hit, I mean, I don't /want/ to die but I'm not going to spend all my life worrying that I will. I'm more scared of being alone." She bit her bottom lip slightly. "I don't really know how to explain it. We still insult each other, get mad, argue everything we did before but...it's comforting." **

"Don't tell me you're starting to go soft on me," Draco scoffed, shaking his head at her. Next she would be saying how she had always loved him and then pounce on him on the couch and they'd both be banished from the library, which would infuriate her and they'd end up right back where they started. He couldn't help but laugh. Where the hell had /that/ train of thought come from? "I'm flattered, but I don't think it would work with me being a disowned prat from Slytherin and you being a goody two shoes know-it-all Gryffindor." He hadn't meant to insult himself, but it had just sort of come out that way.

**"Malfoy, get over yourself. I didn't say I wanted to marry you and have your babies," she said rolling her eyes. "I just said that always fighting gives me a sense of comfort since, well - we've always done it. And basically it's the only thing that will never change," she said before laughing. **

**"You just insulted yourself."**

"I know I did, but it's true," Draco shrugged. He tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully as he gazed at her. "So you're saying that our fights make you happy? That wasn't exactly the effect I was going for..." He remembered a thought he had had a while ago and smirked. "Oh...just one thing...do your male friends pick fights with you a lot?" He had a hunch that they had all noticed how shaggable she looked when she was pissed off. Somehow, anger brought out the beauty in Hermione that she liked to try and hide. Wait...not beauty...oh crap. That wasn't what he had meant at all.

**"Well not happy...I do get pissed off when we fight...you don't get it," she sighed as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, frowning in confusion at his next question. "What do you mean do they all pick fights with me? That's a strange question Malfoy...but now that I think about it…," she said lightly as she thought back, "it feels like they all annoy me on purpose all the time." **

Draco started to laugh then, knowing he was right. Oh merlin, poor Hermione. She was probably exasperated to the point of killing someone because of the things she had to put up with and she didn't even know that they did it on purpose. "You do realize that they're doing it so you yell at them, right?" he snickered, suddenly not so disgusted with himself. If all of the other guys had noticed the same thing then it couldn't be wrong to think...right?

**Hermione was confused beyond belief. "Why on earth would they make me yell at them on purpose?" she asked Draco her head tilting slightly as she frowned curiously. It made no sense in her eyes. "Whenever I get mad at someone they get screamed at and usually not spoken to for some time until they apologize. Who would /want/ that?"**

"It's...kind of weird to explain...but you know how when a certain girl smiles, all the blokes melt at the sight of her?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck a little awkwardly. Oh merlin, he should /not/ have to be the person to explain this to Granger.

**Hermione looked at him completely clueless and unaware. "Yes...that has what to do with me yelling and being angry?" she asked blankly also wondering why he looked so uncomfortable. **

**Draco Malfoy just did not make any sense.**

"Well...for you...," he coughed slightly, "uh...it's the same thing, only when you're pissed. All the blokes melt when you scream at them and your eyes do that sparkly thing and your cheeks get all rosy... Hell I don't know, your hair might even unfrizz a little." He smirked and blushed at the same time, hating that he had to say that, but adding a little insult on the end. Just for his own peace of mind.

**Hermione blinked. "That's completely stupid," she said. Then realizing how many times she got angry at someone - anyone, she groaned. "I'm never yelling or getting angry again in my life," she said, before something clicked and she studied Draco for a moment before rubbing her cheek thoughtfully. "So the person I argue most with…which...would have to be Ron…," she lied, "must like me the most?" **

**HA. So if he said yes, it meant Draco liked her - since Ron of course stood for Draco. The Slytherin Prince was who she spent most of her time arguing with after all.**

"I don't know about that," he frowned, "I guess it kind of does mean that, but I suppose Ron just liked watching you get all worked up and such. He's kind of a wanker. I wouldn't be surprised if some the guys don't even realize the reason they want you to get upset, they just do." Like him... Oh crap... This conversation was taking a very dangerous direction.

This would be something to see though. Hermione trying not to get upset at anyone about anything. Draco felt the smirk return to his lips as he imagined harassing her and Granger just ignoring it. They both knew that would never happen.

**Hermione chuckled, "You really should pay more attention to the conversation Malfoy," she said standing up. "Oh and for the record I'm never getting mad at you again. For future reference, Ron isn't the person I argue most with. That title goes to a certain blonde Slytherin," she smirked before quickly leaving the library.**

She was determined now. She would never get mad again. 

Draco made a strangled noise as she strolled out, looking just a cocky and smug as he normally did. Damn her! It had all been a trick! He did not like her most... Stupid woman. He liked tormenting her because...she was fun to torment? Ugh, that didn't sound like a proper excuse at all.

"Granger!" he snapped, getting shushed by the librarian as he dashed for the door, determined to prove her wrong. The blonde boy chased her down and grabbed her good arm to make her stop. "Listen here, mudblood," he sneered, "despite what you think, I have no desire for you whatsoever! You're disgusting, ugly, and beneath me and the very idea of you makes my skin crawl. All right?!"

He glared down at her, not caring if she got upset or not. There was no way Draco was letting the stuck up priss think she had won this round.

**Hermione smiled at him brightly as he insulted her, of course, it hurt her a lot that he just said all that but she was never getting mad again. She had promised herself that. "That's nice Malfoy, I know...I really am all that aren't I?" she smiled before moving out of his grip and turning walking away once again, her shoulders sagging slightly as she tried very hard not to burst out in an emotional yell of defense.**

"W-What?!" he spluttered, "no. No, no, no. You can't /do/ that!" Draco moved again and grabbed her shoulders in frustration, much gentler then Harry had though as he shook her a little. "Stop acting like I don't bother you! I know you want to snap any number of insults back at me. How...can you just act like you don't care?!"

He gazed down into her eyes, wondering how she could just tune him out like that. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop her words from getting under his skin and irking him.

**Hermione looked up at him her eyes watering slightly. "Of course you bother me Malfoy, you always have and always will," she told him calmly. Besides the fact that she looked like she was about to cry, she seemed completely unaffected by what he was doing. She. Would. Not. Yell. She. Would. Not. Get. Mad.**

"**Those insults hurt me more then anything anyone has said to me all year, so now that you know you've affected me, I'll be going," she said blankly, moving out of his grip once again and walking away.**

"Bloody hell would you just scream at me like you want to and be done with it?!" Draco exclaimed in exasperation, wanting to shake the yells out of her. The fact that she was able to just walk away from him like this was driving him crazy.

Wait.

He affected her? Draco took a deep breath to keep from freaking out and went after her again. "Would you stop running away?" he growled, blocking her path again.

**"I'm not running, as you could very plainly see. I was walking," she replied casually before pushing past him once again and continuing on her way, the annoyance starting to build up in her. If he kept this up she'd explode at him...and they both remembered what happened the last time they exploded at each other. Actually, that wasn't such a bad idea. **

**Wait, no what was she thinking? "I'm going crazy," she muttered under her voice.**

"I said stop! That's mean cease movement you stubborn prat!" he snapped at her, blocking the path once again. Draco wasn't giving up until she took back what she had said or snapped. At least if she yelled at him then he had proven she couldn't just ignore him. He gripped her good arm firmly to stop her from escaping this time and glared down into her eyes.

"What are you so afraid of, Granger?"

**"You," she growled, looking into his eyes. "I'm afraid that I'm falling for you, all right?" she snapped, pulling out her wand and pointing it at his throat. "I'm not in the mood, so please would you be so kind as to let go of my arm and be on your dandy way so I do not have to hurt you?" she asked plainly. **

"WHAT?!" he squeaked, his eyes going wide as he stared at her. No, he had heard her wrong. There was no way that Granger just said she was falling for him. Draco was so shocked that he still hadn't let go of her arm and didn't seem to notice the wand pointed threatening at his throat. "That isn't funny, Granger," he said softly, feeling like he was being made fun of somehow.

**"I'm not in a joking mood Malfoy, let go of me," she huffed, trying to yank her arm out of his grip pushing the wand into his throat a bit more. "Petrificus totalas," she whispered under her voice and watched as Draco's limbs snapped together and he landed heavily on the ground. She looked down at him. "I'll say the counter curse once I'm a safe distance away," she said before quickly jogging away. A few moments later the curse lifted. **

If Hermione hadn't been in such a hurry she might have seen just how hard Draco hit the ground, his head making a lovely 'crack' against the stone floor. He was all right, just unconscious, but he'd have a terrible headache when he woke up. Unfortunately for the unconscious blonde, a cloaked man had been waiting in the shadows for them. Hermione had left just in time. The figure stepped forward and lifted Draco's limp body from the floor, not noticing as the boy's wand fell quietly to the ground. A moment later, they were gone.

**Hermione isolated her self in a hidden room as she cried softly, not believing that she had admitted that to Malfoy. Great… Now, since there was no way he would ever return those feelings, he would either taunt her for the rest of her life or just start ignoring her. She ripped of the necklace, yelping slightly as it took some of her hair with it, before ditching it against the wall. **

**"I hate you so much Draco Malfoy."**

Draco didn't awaken until late the next morning, groaning at the pain of his throbbing head. This was worse then a hangover. His entire body was stiff and sore, like he'd slept sitting up. Wait... He tried to move and found his arms were bound behind his back. He was in...a chair...or something. It was too dark too tell and a rough piece of material was tied around his head as a gag. Struggling quietly and trying to spit the dirty tasting thing from his mouth, Draco suddenly froze. Another sound came from behind him along with a low, evil chuckle.

"So nice to see you're awake."

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Oh no! Who has taken Draco?! Well, we could tell you, but then that would spoil the next chapter. ::grins:: Besides, with Hermione hating Draco, no one else might even notice he's gone… Heh heh. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, even if we did leave you in suspense. Please review and let us know what you thought. 


	11. Following orders

We're surprised that no one guessed who took Draco, but you'll all just have to read this chapter and find out who it was. :P Oh, and to address a few questions we've had about the use of '/' around words like /this/, the slanted lines are supposed to mean the same thing that italic words do. Putting emphasis on them. It's just that we write back and forth over msn and it doesn't allow italic words without making the entire post italic so…yah. Any words surrounded by the slanted lines are just being emphasized so they stand out. Hope that clears things up. Now that that's done and over with, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Last Chapter: **Hermione isolated her self in a hidden room as she cried softly not believing that she had admitted that to Malfoy, great, now since there was no way he would ever return those feelings he would either taunt her for the rest of her life or just start ignoring her. She ripped of the necklace yelping slightly as it took some of her hair with it before ditching it against the wall. **

**"I hate you so much Draco Malfoy."**

Draco didn't awaken until late the next morning, groaning at the pain of his throbbing head. This was worse then a hangover. His entire body was stiff and sore, like he'd slept sitting up. Wait... He tried to move and found his arms were bound behind his back. He was in...a chair...or something, it was too dark too tell and a rough piece of material was tied around his head as a gag. Struggling quietly and trying to spit the dirty tasting thing from his mouth, Draco suddenly froze. Another sound came from behind him along with a low, evil chuckle.

"So nice to see you're awake."

:-:

**"Do you know where Draco is?" Hermione breathed, running into Professor Snape's classroom. The class stopped as about twenty pairs of eyes turned to her. She looked around sheepishly. Unfortunately, this was the seventh year class...the class she was supposed to be sitting in right now. **

**"Ms. Granger, take a seat. So nice of you to join us," Snape said dryly. **

**Hermione shook her head. "I can't find Draco anywhere." She then took a breath. "But I did find his wand," she said lifting it up so the professor could see. **

**Snape visibly paled. "Class is dismissed for today. Read over chapters three and four and write an essay on the usefulness of wormsroot in potions," he said hastily, making everyone leave and sitting Hermione down. **

**"When was the last time you saw him?" Snape demanded. **

**"Ahh...outside the library yesterday afternoon...I body binded him so he'd stop following me..."**

"That wasn't a very intelligent move on your part, considering our situation, was it?" Snape glared at her, wondering how such a clever witch could have done something so stupid. "You bound him and left him completely alone?"

Draco tried to turn in his bindings to look at the person, but they were only a silhouette in the bright light from the doorway. The room he was in was nearly pitch black and it felt cool and damp. At least, the air was moist and tasted stale. That wasn't a good sign.

"Who are you?!" he exclaimed, coughing since his throat was quite dry. Only, it came out more like 'boorahoo' thanks to the gag. If it was his father then why wasn't he murdered already? Stupid Granger! This was all her bloody fault!

**Hermione looked down guiltily. "I was angry Professor…I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...I didn't even think…" I /don't/ think when Malfoy's around me, was her silent add on to the sentence. Snape rubbed his temples, a habit he had started to do more frequently whenever Hermione or Draco was around him.**

**"Boorahoo?" she asked herself in confusion before her eyes widened and she pulled out the locket that was resting inside her shirt. "Draco? Can you hear me?" she asked. She had tried this all morning...but something may have been blocking the communication? Or he could've been out cold? Sleeping? Ignoring her? She didn't know but she had heard a brief noise that sounded a little like him.**

Draco sagged against the tight ropes in relief as Hermione's voice flooded into his mind. She still had the locket. Maybe there was a chance that they could find him before... He knew he couldn't really speak, it wouldn't make any sense. Instead he began to thrash and yell against his restraints, stilling only when he was struck across the face hard enough to make him feel dizzy again. Warm blood slid down his cheek, dripping off the edge of his chin as he hung his head.

"That's quite enough of that," the voice hissed, quite clearly a man. It wasn't anything familiar though and the blonde felt very confused. Who the hell was doing this?!

**"DRACO!" She yelled hearing him thrashing about. "Settle down, please just settle down," she said trying to soothe him a little as she tried not to panic. **

**"Granger who on earth are you talking to?" Snape demanded, but Hermione ignored him. **

**"I'll find you, okay? Everything's going to be all right…" she told him in her 'stubborn' voice. **

**The man that held Draco let out a low evil laugh as he watched him slump against his magical bonds. He leaned closer to the boy and hissed quietly. "I want to give you a chance to redeem yourself Draco." **

"Redeem myself?" he mumbled through the gag. Oh no... He knew who this was... Opening his eyes angrily, Draco glared up at the man who was now standing over him. "But my /lord/, I thought Lucius was ordered to kill me," he spat bitterly, his words still garbled and making him sound quite silly. Voldemort still hit him hard across the face again for the disrespect and wrenched the gag from Draco's mouth as the blonde boy drew in shaky and gasping breaths.

"You will remember who's presence you are in, young Draco," Voldemort hissed again, lifting Draco's battered face so they were eye to eye, "I have...a task for you..."

Chuckling cruelly, the dark lord waved his hand slightly, blocking the room from anyone but the two of them hearing his words. Draco still glared defiantly at the man...or the creature that was left where a man once was. How could he have blindly followed someone like this?

**"Draco? Draco?" Hermione repeated panicked as the talking was suddenly cut off. "Snape! Please we have to find him! I ... I think he's with Voldemort," she said with wide eyes. Snape let out a growl just thinking about the dark lord and the terrible things he could be doing to him while they sat here helplessly. **

**"If you fail this task," Voldemort smiled evilly as he looked at Draco, "the godfather that you look up to so much will be killed. Is that clear young Malfoy?" he sneered. **

"You can't touch Snape," Draco protested, "you can't get any of them! They're safe in Hogwarts and Snape is too smart to be captured or killed by any of you..." It was strange that they had picked him though. Why not his mother? Or...well no. Snape made sense, since Narcissa was locked safely in the order's hideout.

"What...what are you asking of me?" Draco whispered shakily, wondering if it was maybe something he could do and then leave again, maybe be more careful not to get caught next time. Voldemort probably knew every traitorous thought in his heart...

**Yes, Voldemort did know every thought, but it only made him chuckle in amusement. He studied Draco for some time, letting him drown in his own worries and come to a few conclusions by himself before finally speaking up. **

**"I want you to kill the mudblood…" He didn't doubt Draco knew which one he was referring to. The boy had gotten much too close to her for his own good.**

"Kill Granger?" he whispered, feeling the blood drain from his face. Sure he wasn't the biggest fan of the girl, but he couldn't /kill/ her. "I...how...you can't really...expect me to...," Draco said weakly, seeming to shrink into the chair. They both knew he wasn't a killer.

**"That's right, kill one lowly little mudblood," smirked Voldemort. "Even you should be able to manage that little Malfoy. I'll give you one week - if you do not I will kill you, along with Snape. I'll make you watch the life slip away from his dark eyes." **

**"One week…," came Voldemort's voice again lower and then Draco was facing Hogwarts with no bonds.**

Draco collapsed to the ground, on his knees, feeling like he was going to be sick. Kill her? Or Snape would die... How could he choose between lives like that? Blood dripped slowly from the wounds on his face, a stark contrast to his pale hands as the droplets made their way to the grass. He watched, horribly fascinated by the crimson liquid as he tried to figure out what he was going to do.

**"Draco!" came Hermione's voice a quarter of an hour later. The only reason she was even outside was because she had fought with Snape that she would find him no matter what...and then ran. **

**So she had found Draco! She went to her knees in front of him, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry, it's all my fault..." She then trailed of and backed away slightly. **

**"How did you get away?"**

"Get away from me," he whispered, looking up at her with fear in his eyes. How...could he do something like that to a person who cared about him enough to come looking for him? No one else would have... "Hermione you have to stay away from me," Draco pleaded, wiping at his face the best he could, "please."

Pushing himself up, he stepped away from her, wishing he hadn't felt so relieved when she hugged him.

**Hermione stayed on her knees looking up at him with wide eyes. "Draco?" she asked in confusion, "what's wrong? What happened? Don't you dare do this Malfoy!" The anger that she had said would never come out again was starting to rear it's ugly ( ...or not so ugly in Hermione's case) head.**

**She stood up facing him. "Draco…," she pleaded.**

"Why are you calling me that?" he frowned, looking pained, "do you have any idea how stupid you are?! What you've made happen?! Because of your confession or whatever Voldemort...he...Granger, Snape will DIE. He'll die if I don't do it!" He covered his face in shame, not want to have to look at her right now.

**"What on earth are you talking about? Fine, I won't call you Draco. In fact I hate you more then anyone else on the earth! Is that what you want to hear, Malfoy? IS IT?" she yelled, finally breaking down into tears. "Why the hell does me trying to be nice to you make me stupid? Caring about you is the first thing I have /ever/ done that isn't by the book, that wasn't what someone else expected from me, and it just simply happened! How come people can do things on impulse all of their lives and be praised, but the first thing I do on impulse kills people?" **

Draco opened his mouth to reply, but she wouldn't stop ranting at him. Bloody hell, why wouldn't she just shut up for a minute?! And she was doing the sexy anger thing again... Fuck... "He wants me to kill you!" Draco shouted finally, trying to talk loud enough that she'd hear him, despite her self righteous scolding. It wasn't like he was being an arse on purpose. Maybe if she stayed away from him, ran, left here, then Voldemort couldn't blame him and Snape would be all right.

**Hermione's mouth snapped shut as she stared at him her eyes wide. "K-Kill me?" she asked softly, "you?" She shook her head lightly. No. Draco wouldn't do that, would he? He didn't kill Dumbledore so why was he even contemplating killing her? **

**"And will you Draco? Will you kill me? I won't run away…"**

"Granger, if you aren't dead in a week then Snape and I...," he trailed off, closing his eyes miserably. She actually had to ask? She honestly thought that he could do it? "Do you really think I'm capable of something like that?" he asked in a hard tone, his eyes snapping open as glared down at her, moving to grip her throat tightly. He could squeeze and then she'd be dead...just as easy as that.

**Hermione stood there stubbornly, not struggling in his grip, but she shifted slightly as she spoke, needing more air. "No..." she gasped softly, "I don't think you can, and if you did...it would haunt you forever. You know that." She looked up into his eyes, trying to reason with him. "Voldemort isn't all powerful, you know. Unless Snape actually goes to him when he is called then Voldemort can't get to Snape."**

Draco swore and released her, taking a step back as he thought over what she said. "I told him that," he said finally, "but he seemed to know something that we don't." Holding out his hand to her, Draco still couldn't bring himself to feel any joy at being returned. Snape was going to be furious when he found out what happened.

**"I knew something was happening...that he was telling you something that I wasn't allowed to hear," she said softly, hesitating slightly before taking his hand. There was no going back after she accepted his help... "He knew that I was listening and he blocked it," she told him, "we'll tell Snape, he'll know what to do." **_**I hope**_

Draco pulled her up, half expecting her to reject the help just because she was like that. As he gazed at her nervous face, he knew that he never wanted her to die, even if he had said it before. And he especially didn't want to be the one to do it. "Granger...," he sighed, shaking his head. Pulling her into a hug, he buried his face in her neck, more for his own comfort then hers.

**Hermione let out a soft 'shh' and put her arms around him just...holding him. "It will all work out Draco," she told him softly. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to make sure that it does." And that wasn't a light promise to be made either. Hermione could do quite a lot when she put her mind to it, just as much as Draco could. He was second after her in every single class after all...except defense against the dark arts...Harry was at the top of that.**

"I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, pulling back just as abruptly as he had hugged her in the first place. Ignoring his throbbing face and the rest of his aching body, Draco grabbed Hermione's arm lightly and yanked her towards the school. "We have to talk to Snape. Come on."

**"Don't be sorry," she told him with a sigh, letting him drag her back towards the school. "It's dinner time now," she told him jogging to his side quickly so he didn't have to pull her and took two quick steps to match his long strides. "So Snape might be in the great hall... I'm not sure." She shrugged lightly.**

"I can't go in there looking like this," Draco sighed, looking down at his school robes that were dirty and blood stained now. His face probably looked like hell too. "Is my handsome face marred and stained?" he asked, a slight pout to his lips. Draco valued his looks more then anything because his personality never seemed to get him any women. They only wanted to shag him because he was the sexiest man in their year. To lose his looks... He shuddered at the very thought.

**Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Oh so it doesn't matter if /I/ see you all bloodied and marred but god forbid anyone else does," she huffed, crossing her arms as she stalked in front of him walking faster then she was before trying to put a little distance between her and the egotistical git.**

"Don't make me wish I'd killed you!" he called after her, feeling grumpy that she was getting annoyed over nothing. He had only meant that people might wonder what the hell had happened if he marched in all bloodied and beaten. "I wasn't talking about my looks you stupid girl!" he sighed, "how would you suggest I explain my appearance to everyone? I fell down some stairs?"

**"You could tell them that I beat you up and then Voldemort stole you away when I left you alone in a body bind and then proceeded to hurt you," she said blankly. "And oh? You weren't talking about your looks? Let me repeat what you said before. 'Is my handsome face marred and stained?' Right…that sounds like you weren't talking about your looks at all..." She glared at him, sarcasm dripping from her words.**

**Why was she getting even mad over this? She sighed. "Sorry," Hermione muttered, realizing the reason why, but keeping it to herself.**

"Whatever, Granger," Draco said coldly, not about to point out the fact that Voldemort had just kidnapped him, tied him up and slapped him around to try and convince him to kill /her/. But no, it had to be all about how he wasn't in love with her or some bloody rubbish like that. Was she being pissy because he hadn't said he wanted her or something? Maybe he should just go back to Voldemort and ask him to run him through before Hermione did it for him.

**"Look, bloody hell, I was only jealous okay? Don't get your knickers in a twist," she huffed, wanting very much to run away and not be near him. After what happened the last time that she ran away from him she couldn't do it though. She pulled out her wand and pointed it at him saying a few cleaning spells. He wasn't perfect but he was better. "Oh and here's your wand. I found it when I was trying to find you this morning," she said pulling it out and holding it out for him to take.**

"Thanks," he grumbled, grabbing it from her and muttering a few spells that made his hair fall into just the right place again. Sure he was a little vain, but that's what made him so loveable. "What are you jealous about anyway, Granger? You think I want to look good so Snape will shag me? Honestly, I don't see any other girls desperately trying to get my attention."

**"Oh no really?" she asked him with raised eyebrows as a pack of girls just happened to walk past the moment after he fixed his hair. They started giggling insanely as they looked at him before briefly glaring at Hermione and continuing on to their destination. "No not at all," she said sarcastically.**

"You know what, I didn't ask for you to be in love with me or something," Draco hissed quietly, not aware he was being checked out, "so stop being a pretentious, grumpy, bitch." There, he'd said it. She was being a stuck up pain in the ass and acting like she owned him or something. He could only imagine how scary jealous she would be while actually dating a guy.

**Hermione snorted. "I never said I was in love with you Malfoy so don't think so bloody high of yourself all the time." She reached a hand up and cupped his chin moving his face in the direction of the girls that where shooting flirtatious looks over their shoulders at him. "Would you rather I act like that instead to try and gain your attention?" she asked, "I don't know how you can be so oblivious and egotistical at the same time. Almost every single girl in Hogwarts would die to get close to you."**

"They're not even looking at me!" Draco protested, "and the school hates me now since the Dumbledore incident..." He sighed and wished he didn't think of the fact that someone was going to die at the end of the week, every time he looked at Granger. "Honestly though, listen to yourself. As egotistical as I may be, you love it. You probably always have. In some sick and twisted way I think you like the fact that I'm a stuck up prat..." He jerked his chin out of her grip and smirked.

**Hermione growled, the fire coming back to her eyes as she started breathing a little heavier. "The whole school may hate you, Malfoy, but you're still handsome and you're still rich and to most girls that's all that matters! Some girls would follow you to the end of the world to live in rich comforts with a good looking husband or partner, and they /were/ looking at you!" she snapped. "And…I DO NOT love it!"**

"Your eyes say otherwise," he smirked, seeing the anger flashing across her face. Ha, and she said she wouldn't let him make her angry. "Nice to see you staying so calm," Draco remarked, brushing past her to go inside. He was hurting all over and it was a little hard to breathe, although he didn't think it was from the pain... He had to stop looking at her when she was angry!

**Hermione growled but didn't say anything as she followed him. Why the hell did she care for this stuck up prat at all? There was...just something about him. Amazingly it was some sort of...innocence that made her want to protect him. She let out a small snort. That was a load of crap. Draco wouldn't know what innocence was even if it danced in front of him naked.**

**Then rather randomly she pictured Pansy's face on a body of a pug and burst out laughing.**

"I swear Granger, whatever drugs you're on, you need to stop," he muttered, groaning a little as he sat down to rest on a bench in the hall. "Do you ever think it would be easier to just give in to something you've been fighting your whole life?" Draco asked aloud, not sure if he was voicing the question to himself or her. Either way he sighed and leaned his forehead against his palm. Today was not a good day.

**"Sorry, sorry," she said wiping a few tears of laughter away. "Ever pissed off and in a dull moment just picture Parkinson's face on the body of a pug," she said chuckling some more before frowning slightly at his question. She sat on the bench beside him pondering the question for a few moments. "No, I haven't really. I've never fought any of my emotions in my whole life. However since eleven I've fought against Voldemort. I would never give into that. It would be like suicide. Even if I did want to follow Voldemort it would be impossible for me."**

"Never mind, forget it," Draco shook his head, leaning back against the cool stone of the wall. He shoved his current train of thought out of his mind as quickly as possible. Why would he ever give in to something like that? To /her/? Even the idea of Pansy's head on a pug didn't cheer him up at all and he hoped that they could speak with Snape soon. Every moment he spent with Hermione was making him feel more and more guilty.

**"Okay, well are you feeling slightly better? We should get to Professor Snape as quickly as possible." she said looking at him before giving him a small nervous smile showing him that she was in fact scared, but she wouldn't run away from her fears. **

**She stood up and looked at him before offering him a hand up.**

He shook his head slowly, knowing she was watching him. He wasn't ready to go yet and he especially wasn't ready to tell Snape what Voldemort had said. "Aren't you capable of sitting still and being silent for even a moment?" Draco huffed, finally opening his eyes to narrow them at her. Was it so wrong that he wanted to rest for a moment? "If I recall correctly, it was /you/ that made me smash my head on the floor last night /and/ get kidnapped..."

**Hurt flashed through Hermione's eyes as well as guilt she gave a small nod and walked to the opposite side of the corridor, sitting down on the ground and pulling her knees to her chest. Well really, how was she supposed to know that all that happened? He was just supposed to fall to the ground and get up and move on once she removed the spell. "I'm sorry."**

He watched her sit far away from him and rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to bite, even if you did try to kill me," Draco shrugged, brushing hair from his eyes and thinking that maybe it was time for a haircut or at least a trim. Hermione's hair...well...it needed a weed-whacker. "Have you ever tried doing anything with your hair?" Draco asked curiously, his hands twitching to fix it. It couldn't be so hard to tame all those curls.

**"Yes, I know how to fix it. I don't want to though, I like it just the way it is," she said, looking at him in annoyance. "And don't you dare touch it Draco Malfoy, just because you like your hair to be perfect doesn't mean everyone does," she said, putting her nose stubbornly into the air. "And I thought you wanted some privacy? You know, some quiet time so you could think? Now you're being all chatty?"**

The Slytherin's icy gaze softened a little as his lips turned up in a sly smile. "I just thought that since you were so fond of me, you might want to come over here and cuddle and let me do your hair," he snickered, watching Hermione for a reaction. She was usually pretty predictable. Hmm, when she had said she was afraid she was falling for him...how far gone was she already?

**She glared at him harshly. "Go get pretty with someone else Malfoy, you are /not/ touching my hair you sad excuse for a manly person," she snapped before looking away again glaring at some random brick in the wall. The nerve of him! She wasn't that hooked on him that she'd just do anything he said.**

"You know, I don't think there's been a single time when I wasn't sure how you would respond to my words," he whispered, raising an eyebrow at her, "I guess we're a boring old couple already. You're always nagging and I'm never home. Guess we should call it quits." There, speed dating was given a new meaning. He chuckled and felt some of the nervous knots in his stomach loosen a little. Draco was doing everything humanly possible to forget about his 'task'.

**"Did you just break up with me Draco?" she asked amazed as she looked at him. "You broke up with me and we aren't even dating? You really are weird, and for the record you're just as predictable as I am." She stood up, hands on hips, as she walked to him and glared down at him. "If I'm so predictable what will I do next?"**

"Hmm," he frowned thoughtfully, watching her face, "you're going to come over here all annoyed because I'm right and call me an 'insufferable git' and stand right there-" He marked where she would stand with the toe of his shoe, "-and then you'll put your hands on your hips and make some smart remark to get back at me and then we'll fight about nothing and you'll kiss me again..." Brushing bangs from his eyes in annoyance, Draco smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Sound about right, Granger?"

**"For your information, it was you that kissed me first when we argued," she growled stubbornly before pulling out her wand and pointing it at his head. She said a small spell so that his hair shortened and didn't go over his eyes as much. "For someone that needs to be perfect I would have thought you knew how to do that." Huffing, she then grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him up, starting to walk them towards Snape's office again. **

**"Oh and for the record you were probably right about what I was going to do."**

"My hair /was/ perfect," he muttered, wincing as she yanked on his tender hand. Voldemort's ropes hadn't exactly been gentle. "And I wasn't right at all," Draco shook his head, "you didn't kiss me." Why was he pushing this? Maybe he just wanted to see if she really liked him enough to do it. He was used to girls /wanting/ to kiss him, but never one like Hermione who claimed to originally hate his guts. Damn, he must be sexy.

**"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were /trying/ to make me kiss you," she told him, looking over her shoulder at him briefly before looking forward again. **

**Okay fine, he wanted a kiss - he'd get one. Rather suddenly she span around, pushing him against the wall and kissing him hard. **

**Ha. Ha! Predict that!**

"Ah, I knew that would get to you," he murmured before melting into the kiss. Bloody hell, he hadn't realized how much he'd wanted to kiss her again until this very moment. That didn't mean anything though...right? Just that Hermione was good kisser... She thought she was surprising him, but he had been prodding her towards this very goal for the past few minutes. She didn't catch on very fast. Then again, he hadn't known that's what he was doing at first.

**"I know you did - couldn't help it," she mumbled pulling away briefly before kissing him once again. One of her hands had somehow gone behind his neck, playing with some of his hair unconsciously. Unless she was a natural kisser, then she wouldn't be all that good. The first boy she had kissed had been Viktor in forth year, Ron, Harry and Draco. She didn't have all that much experience since only Draco was really a good kisser. **

He chuckled against her mouth and dipped her back a little as he kissed her properly, not daring to involved his tongue at all until they were both used to the concept of /them/ kissing. Oh merlin, did that mean he was already planning for more kisses? He didn't want to shag her...or even date her. He didn't want anything to do with the mudblood. So...why were his knees giving out as he kissed her?

**"MALFOY GET YOUR DISGUSTING HANDS OF HER!" Harry shouted, standing a little ways down the corridor with clenched fists and his chest heaving in anger. Hermione jumped, biting Draco's lip slightly pulled back. "Sorry I didn't mean to…" She looked at his lip guiltily before slowly looking to Harry with a small gulp.**

"My hands aren't disgusting," Draco said softly, looking genuinely hurt as he looked down at the offending appendages. He sucked on his bottom lip that Hermione had bit down on a bit hard and tilted his head at Harry curiously. "What bothers you more, Potter?" he asked coolly, "the fact that you were too stupid to get to her first or that she actually prefers stuck up Slytherin, purebloods to the boy who lived?" He was smirking again, enjoying tormenting Harry.

**Hermione reached up and took hold of one of his hands shaking her head lightly as though to disagree with what Harry had said. She looked towards Harry to see what his answer would be. **

**"Neither," he spat, "the fact that you have your hands on what's /mine/"**

The blonde appreciated that at least Hermione thought his hands were nice. "Are you /his/?" Draco asked calmly, looking to Hermione. He already knew the answer to that one. Potter should have known that girls hated being treated like possessions. He had learned that pretty damn fast in dating. It was okay to say you belonged to each other, but not get all pissy about it. Potter was pushing it. Really. He was way too needy.

**Hermione was shaking with rage, but after what Draco had told her she was very, very obviously trying to hold it back as she squeezed the dear life out of Draco's hand. **

**She was /his/She/ was /his/?! No bloody way in this world now that she would ever be his, the prick!**

Draco gritted his teeth, trying to take his hands back to salvage what was left of them. Why was she holding his hand in the first place? "Granger, calm down," he instructed, "Potter here just wants to know if you belong to him. Do you?" He took a little step back, knowing she was about to explode with anger. It would be a wise move to get out of the crossfire.

**Hermione then took a deep breath and rubbed her temples before looking at Harry. "Yes, I'm yours. Complete mind, body and soul. It's all yours to do with what you want," she said giving out a sigh in defeat and rolling her eyes. Inwardly however she was laughing. **

'**Did you predict that Malfoy?' she thought silently, wishing she could say it out loud as Harry stared at her in shock.**

Draco felt his mouth drop open a little as he watched Hermione not only calm herself, but answer Harry in a way that neither of them expected. She had better be careful though because Potter was going to take that to heart. "I...see...," he said slowly, fighting the snicker that was trying to escape. It was amazing how far Hermione would go, just to prove him wrong.

Harry, on the other hand, looked ready to burst into tears and throw his arms around her. "I knew it," he smiled warmly, her best friend seeming to reappear as his nasty side faded away and he moved forward the hug her.

**"Are you bloody crazy?" she demanded of Harry when he believed her, "I would never give all of myself to /anyone/, let alone you Harry!" She was shocked that Harry had believed her! After the way he'd acted…**

**"I love you Harry, I really do, but you're like my older brother. Seriously - it's bordering on the lines of incest."**

Harry dropped his arms and stared at her in surprise. Draco quite thought he looked like she'd just punched him in the stomach. She might as well have, that wasn't a very nice thing to 'pretend'.

"So you mock me and then throw it back in my face?" Harry growled through clenched teeth. Hermione was turning into as much of a stuck up prat as Malfoy! "I think Malfoy's rubbing off on you," he spat, "since you're being a ruddy bitch." Turning on his heel, Harry made sure to bump Draco hard on the way by as he headed off down the hall.

**"At least I don't get jealous enough to become a raving lunatic!" she yelled after him before huffing and not saying another word as she stalked off towards Snape's office. Tears prickled at her eyes as she went. She didn't know what had possessed her to do that to Harry… Did she really need to prove Draco wrong that much that she was willing to risk one of her best friends? She had to get away from Malfoy. Falling for him was dangerous. She didn't want it. She didn't want him. **

**It was only a physical attraction.**

Draco was left behind as the other teens stalked off in angry huffs. Well at least he knew that she wasn't into Potter that way. That made things slightly less complicated. Taking a deep breath to calm the rapid beating of his heart, he listed to the blood pound in his ears for a moment before wondering why no other girl had ever spurred this reaction in him. Was it because he was treading on 'forbidden' grounds? Or was it just her? He didn't really know...

Seeing another Gryffindor headed towards him, he intercepted the pretty sixth year and smiled charmingly. "Can I borrow you for just a moment?" he asked with a smirk, chuckling when her eyes widened and she nodded eagerly. This was crazy, even the Gryffindors were head over heels for him. Rolling his eyes a little, he leaned down and gave her the same sort of kiss he had done with Granger, feeling the girl gasp in amazement. Sadly, for him, there was nothing. No spark, no blood rushing to various areas on his body, and most of all...no passion. Bloody hell.

"T-Thank you," he stammered, raising her hand to his lips in a gentlemanly manner before dashing off after Hermione.

**"Where have you been?" Hermione demanded of him the moment he caught up. "Have you thought on how you're going to tell Snape that you have to kill me before the weeks up?" she asked him casually, though, the look in her eyes gave everything away on how she was feeling. Scared, vulnerable, small and unsafe with a mix of confusion. **

**She sighed slightly and tucked a piece of wild hair behind her ear as she took a calming breath. She had been a wreck lately, she had to settle herself down and sort everything out.**

"I was kissing some girl back there," he blurted out in annoyance, suddenly wondering how much he valued his own life. Why the hell had he just told her that? His eyes locked with hers and he got a glimpse at her inner self, just briefly, a little look at the way Hermione looked when she wasn't so sure of herself. But then, the spark of anger took over.

He took a large step backwards and swallowed hard. Forget telling Snape that he had to murder Hermione, how were they going to explain the reason for Granger killing /him/?

**However before Hermione could do anything, even say 'man-whore', Professor Snape spoke up from the doorway of his office.**

**"You were given an order to kill Ms. Granger?" he asked Draco in concern, looking down at him gravely, "both of you come to my office now. We have a lot to discuss. Ms. Granger...you'll have to go into isolated hiding, I'm afraid, with Draco's mother."**

Draco let out the breath he had been holding and tentatively followed after Granger and Snape, feeling skittish and nervous again now that the subject of her death had come up. "Professor, there's something else," Draco admitted, dropping down into a chair in front of the man's desk. His cheeks were stinging as if to remind him of the slaps he'd received. "If Granger isn't dead...you and I will be."

**Snape paused not looking at them as he thought about that. "Then, you will go into hiding with Ms. Granger and your mother as well," he said simply as he sat down. **

**"But Professor, what about you?" Hermione asked him softly as she sat down next to Draco. **

**Snape gave a delicate shrug. "I will deal with things as they come. If I happen to be killed then that's that. I've always held that risk being here."**

Draco stood up so quickly his chair was knock backwards and he hit his hand against the smooth surface of Snape's desk in anger. "Professor, you can't just stay here and wait for them to come and kill you! I won't allow it...if...if you're staying then I'm staying." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest and glared at his godfather, not knowing how much his concern actually meant to Snape.

Not to mention he didn't want to be left alone with his mother and Granger all day. A guy could only last so long with two meddling females trying to control his life.

**Snape paused slightly and briefly looked towards Hermione, who understood the difficult emotions that now swirled around the pit of their professor's heart and gut. It had been a year ago when Hermione had walked in on a scene in the potions classroom and had found out Snape's biggest secret. **

**But that story was for later on…**

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Mwahaha, you don't get to know the secret yet:P We may reveal it next chapter, but you'll just have to wait and see. Maybe Draco will refuse to go into hiding and then we'll just kill him off and let Hermione marry Harry. grins No, even we're not that cruel. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter even though parts were a bit silly and we looked forward to reading your reviews! 


	12. The Secret

Hello everyone! Hope you don't mind that you have to wait just one more chapter to hear the big secret. It's not so big though. XD And some of you may even guess it because of this chapter. Well, enough chat. Enjoy!

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Last Chapter: Draco stood up so quickly his chair was knock backwards and he hit his hand against the smooth surface of Snape's desk in anger. "Professor, you can't just stay here and wait for them to come and kill you! I won't allow it...if...if you're staying then I'm staying." He crossed his arms stubbornly over his chest and glared at his godfather, not knowing how much his concern actually meant to Snape.

Not to mention he didn't want to be left alone with his mother and Granger all day. A guy could only last so long with two meddling females trying to control his life.

**Snape paused slightly and briefly looked towards Hermione, who understood the difficult emotions that now swirled around the pit of their professor's heart and gut. It had been a year ago when Hermione had walked in on a scene in the potions classroom and had found out Snape's biggest secret. **

But that story was for later on… 

**:-:**

**"Draco, I have some unfinished work that I need to take care of before I die so trust me I won't be doing anything needlessly. You, however, will be going with your mother and Ms. Granger willingly, or I'll imperio you and take you there myself."**

"But sir-" he started to protest when Snape held up his hand in a no-nonsense sort of way. Letting out a huff like he was a spoiled little child denied his ice cream cone, Draco frowned at his professor and wished Snape would be a little less stubborn sometimes as well.

It seemed to be a trend around Hogwarts to be a stubborn prat, lately. "I'll go sir, but I'm not happy about it," Draco said grumpily, "and when will you be joining us? Or...what about everyone else? Won't people be at risk? There could be attacks to bring us out of hiding..." All the worst cause scenarios came rushing to mind as Draco started to freak out a little. He didn't want anyone getting hurt because of him.

**Hermione glared at him and slapped him over the head getting a surprised look from Snape. She briefly looked at him with a grin before looking back to Draco. "Don't over think things so much Malfoy. Doing anything at all in the middle of the war will be dangerous to yourself or other people." she said, still very obviously mad at him for the 'oh I was just kissing some girl' statement.**

"Thanks for 'clearing my head', Granger," he shot back at her with a glare, rubbing it gingerly, "since dropping me on it yesterday wasn't damage enough."

"Enough!" Snape sighed, "I want both of you to go /together/ and get all of your things. I'll take you to the headquarters as soon as the classes for the day end. And may I suggest actually attending them." He emphasized 'attending' as he raised an eyebrow at the two teens. Both of them had missed a few classes, for excusable reasons, but still.

**So eventually, after Hermione ignored Draco for the entire day, it was time that they should start heading towards Professor Snape's office so they could go to headquarters.**

**So thus Draco and Hermione walked down the corridor, trunks in hand with tons of homework to last years from each lesson and teacher that they had. Hermione was especially looking quite forward to seeing Ms. Narcissa Malfoy again. She looked at Draco from the corner of her eye wondering how he would react to her knowing his mother. Truth be told ever since 'that' incident she had been receiving letters from Narcissa monthly. **

**"Looking forward to seeing your mother Malfoy?"**

"More then anything," he answered honestly, hugging his suitcase to his chest tightly. Draco did sort of wish that Hermione wouldn't be there though so he wouldn't feel so awkward about running to hug Narcissa the moment they arrived. He felt like he'd been away from her for ages and he'd always been a mommy's boy. Maybe that's why he was so girly... Ick. No, he wasn't. Just...proper and well groomed.

"You know, about earlier...," he bit his lip, trying to think how you explained to a woman that in order to understand a kiss, you had to kiss more people...

**"Don't worry about it. I'm over it," she lied to him easily. Truthfully it was all she had been thinking about the whole day. Why, she didn't really know. She had caught him about to shag someone the other day so why was she so upset about a kiss? "Man whore," she muttered softly under her breath. **

**"I'll wait outside a bit when we get there so you can have a few moments with your mum before I come in, okay?"**

Sighing, the blonde rolled his eyes at her words. He wasn't a whore...just most of the girls who went after him were. "Aren't you even curious as to why I did it?" he asked casually, like he kissed random girls in the corridor all the time.

They were nearly to Snape's office now so if she just wanted to drop it, then he would. It wasn't like she'd believe the truth anyway. If they couldn't stand each other now, how were they going to survive living under the same roof? It seemed like no matter what anyone did that crazy things just kept happening. He wanted just a minute to pull back and catch his breath before he ended up an old, lonely man, dying in the manor without anyone beside him. Sure, Draco was scared of stuff like that too. He was human.

**"Well I've narrowed it down to either you're a man whore and pull random girls around for kisses, or you where seeing if she was better then me," she smirked at him, pretty sure that it wasn't the last option. She shook her head lightly before letting out a sigh as they reached the office she let the subject drop as she raised her fist and knocked on the door. **

**It opened wide and once they both moved inside Snape came out a different room. "I've made it so apparition is possible from my office. We will be dropping just outside of the headquarters. Draco, you will do side-a-long with me since you don't know where you're going."**

Draco glanced at Hermione before nodded at Snape. "Yes professor," he sighed, stepping through the doorway. Hermione probably had no idea that she was exactly right. Maybe that would be his new mission. Find some girl that kissed better then Granger so he wouldn't have to feel the desire to drag her into some dark corner and snog the hell out of her.

As long as he only had a desire to kiss her then he could live with it. After all, kissing a person only meant that you had good sexual chemistry, not that you wanted to date them or anything. He was still safe...

**They all apparated outside to headquarters and Hermione looked at Draco. "So, do you remember the address?" she asked him as she started to walk away and then suddenly vanished into an invisible barrier. She smiled up at the Black Mansion - which was now Harry's home. She gave a soft sigh and a small smile as she thought back on all her memories of Sirius...she hadn't seen Remus in a long time either. She hoped she could catch up with him soon too. **

Snape and Draco appeared behind her a moment later and Snape seemed to be in a little bit of a hurry to get into the house, though Draco couldn't think why. Narcissa came to the front door to greet them and actually hugged Snape, kissing his cheek fondly before shooing him into the house. Draco was certain she would come to him now and let a smile creep onto his face as his mother let out a cry of delight and moved right past him...to Granger?

A crushed and confused expression replaced the smile as Draco watched his own mother give Hermione a huge hug and chat away to her like they were old friends. What was going on?!

**Hermione let out a happy laugh. "Hello Cissa!" she said hugging the woman, a little over double her age, back "I's been a long time!" she exclaimed as they chatted away. She briefly noticed the look on Draco's face and couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Well I have to talk to Snape about something, do you mind if we continue this later?" she asked the woman with a large grin. **

**Narcissa nodded and hugged her again. "I'm really glad that you'll be staying here Hermione, it's been so lonely!" she said as Hermione moved into the house leaving mother and son alone.**

"Hello mother," he said flatly, looking quite like his father as he scowled at her. She smiled fondly and came over to ruffle his hair like he was still a little boy.

"Oh, Draco, don't look at me like that. You're going to get wrinkles or freeze your handsome face into that expression one of these days." Kissing his forehead, Narcissa chuckled and pulled Draco into a hug. He was a bit rough around the edges because of the way Lucius had raised him, but he was a good boy. She knew deep down that he craved love and acceptance like she had always given him.

"Mother, what was with you and Granger?" he muttered, resting his head against her shoulder and breathing in the same familiar scent of lilacs his mother had always had.

"Her name is Hermione," Narcissa corrected, "I won't be accepting any intolerance in this home, young man. She happened upon me some time ago and I think we both needed each other. It's nice to have another woman to talk to in this dreary old place." Giggling at her son's horrified expression, she hooked her arm through his and took him into the house.

**What they came upon however was a very strange sight. **

**"Severus please!" Hermione pleaded with the whole puppy eyes and pout going. **

**"No!" Snape snapped glaring at her. **

**"Please?" she tried again. **

**"No," he said just as harsh as the first no had been. **

**"Pleeeease?". **

**"No." **

**There was a slight pause before Hermione tried again in a softer voice, "please?" she tried again. **

**"NO!" he roared.**

**"You're no fun," she said, crossing her arms in annoyance. **

**"Ms. Granger - " he started clearly annoyed with her. Hermione turned up her nose, ignoring him. Snape shook with anger before storming out the room. Narcissa let out a soft giggle at their antics.**

Draco gaped at Hermione and then at his mother who was giggling. Giggling! What this bloody house cursed or something? Everyone had gone bloody mad. Shaking his head, he slipped away through a door into a very long hallway. There was a staircase at the other end so he headed towards it, intent on escaping from the two crazy women in the entrance hall.

He had never seen anyone dare to speak to Snape that way and worst of all, the professor had almost given in! He had heard it in his voice. In fact, the surly man had to look away from Hermione's pleading eyes before he could defy her... What was this world coming to?

**Hermione looked around wondering where Draco had run off to. She looked to Narcissa who shook her head, not knowing the answer to that question. Narcissa smiled briefly. She adored Hermione. Maybe this lovely young girl would be able to make her way into Draco's heart and be the one to keep his attention.**

**"I'm going to go look for him," Hermione stated as she slipped into the corridor and went after Draco. "Draco?" she called softly as she walked through the house.**

Draco groaned at the sound of Hermione's voice and wondered if he would ever find a silent, peaceful place again. Making a quick decision, he dashed up the rest of the stairs as quietly as possible and ducked into the first door he found. It appeared to just be the guestroom since it had a simple bed and dresser and not much else. He set down his bag gingerly and flopped onto the bed with a sigh. What was he going to do? Just avoid everyone until he went mental and threw himself out a second story window?

**Hermione muttered to herself in annoyance. She had heard footsteps but that was it, she had no idea where he was. Sighing and turning around, she went back to Narcissa and decided that maybe she should just leave him alone. **

**For the next few days Hermione and Draco didn't speak at all. Hermione either spent time catching up with Narcissa or spent all of her time in the library.**

Draco had become somewhat of a recluse, hiding in his room and devotedly doing his schoolwork, looking pained when he was dragged down to meals or to take a bathroom break. Neither Snape, who visited frequently, nor his own mother could figure out what had spurred the sudden change in Draco, but the blonde didn't seem to want to do anything more then sit on his arse and scrawl furiously on his scrolls of parchment.

Really, Draco longed for the outdoors, to take his broom for a spin, but anytime he did anything but study, his mind began to wander. And it always wandered to the same bloody know-it-all. He hadn't seen her in days, maybe even all week, since he always finished eating quickly enough that she hadn't even come down yet. He had thought that avoiding her would make everything right again, but it only seemed to be making it all even worse. This morning though, he'd had enough. Throwing back his covers purposefully, he slid from the bed and had a hot shower, dressing in his quidditch robes before anyone was even awake and sneaking outdoors with his broom. Finally.

**Hermione looked over at Draco from her spot on the grass where she had been laying down and watching the sunrise. She stayed silent as she watched him mount his broom and shoot up into the sky. A faint smile came onto her face as she remembered the time that Draco had taken her for a fly. She shook her head with a frown. She was avoiding Draco as much as he was her. So before Draco could spot her she stood up and went to go inside. However, Narcissa had other plans. **

**Always having been an early riser, Narcissa watched the both of them through her bedroom window. Finally** **having enough of all this childishness she went down stairs and caught Hermione just as she went inside. Taking the girl by the ear, she gently pulled her outside ignoring her complaints. "Draco! Get down here now!" she demanded of her son while she held onto Hermione so she couldn't run away.**

Draco circled up in the air, moving a tad bit higher as if he hadn't heard his mother's words. He wasn't aware that Granger had been watching him fly and shake off the stuffy feeling of the house. She shouted his name again, the full name. Shit, he couldn't pretend anymore since she knew he had heard her.

"Draconis Lucius Malfoy!" Narcissa huffed, placing her hand on her hip angrily as her son ignored her. The blonde boy came flying down at last and couldn't hide his surprise that she had Hermione restrained beside her.

"Yes mum?" he asked sweetly, giving her an innocent smile. If he got this over with quick enough then maybe she'd let him go. He wasn't in the mood for a chat, especially not one involving Granger.

**"You two are going to sit down on the ground right here and sort things out or, by god, you both will not eat for the next week and your broom, as well as your books Hermione, will be taken away to where you can never reach them again!" Hermione looked away weakly. Narcissa was a scary woman when she chose to be. **

**"Now sit!" she said, glaring at the both of them.**

Draco sat so quickly he nearly sacked himself on his own broom, wincing as he climbed off of it and sat delicately on the grassy ground, the sunlight just beginning to pour over there small group.

"Mother, I really don't see what this is about," Draco huffed, crossing his arms and still not looking at Hermione, "I've done everything you asked and finished all my work, plus bonus, so what are we supposed to sort out?"

**"Really? Don't you?" Narcissa said to her son as Hermione sat as well with a sulky expression. "You two have been avoiding each other ever since you arrived. Now, you two will sit here until you both sort it out and I will constantly be watching. If either of you move from these spots I will hex you into oblivion." At that, Narcissa walked back in side. **

**They sat in silence for a few moments.**

**"Your mother can be scary sometimes."**

"I've already dealt with seventeen years of it," Draco muttered, agreeing wholeheartedly. His mother was a strong woman. She had to be with the husband her parents had chosen for her. The problem was that Lucius had worked long and hard to break her spirit until she just hid it away. Here though, she seemed a lot more happy and free to be herself, like she had been when he was little.

Draco glanced around nervously, then to Hermione, then back around again. He wanted to run, to hop on his broom and fly fast and hard until he was so far away that not even his mother could get her hands on him. Maybe...maybe she was bluffing. He inched slightly away from Hermione, testing his limits.

**"DRACONIS!" Narcissa's voice boomed over the back yard making Hermione basically jump out of her skin. "This is your only warning! Now talk to the girl!"**

**Hermione gave a small groan and fell back, lying on the grass. "So…just curious, why /have/ you been avoiding me?"**

"Who says I was avoiding you?" he shrugged, avoiding her gaze as he glared towards the house. If his mother didn't stop calling him that he was going to march in there and...well...he didn't know what he'd do but she knew he hated his first name, and middle now as well since it was Lucius' name.

**"You're avoiding me now while you sit right here in front of me," she told him rolling her eyes, before sitting up again. She studied Draco for a little while before she sighed and laid back again. **

**"Why are you scared to let people in Malfoy?"**

"Why do people insist on invading me?" he retorted, not giving an inch. He was feeling particularly argumentative this morning and grumpy now from being forced to have this talk. They hadn't even had any breakfast yet and his mother was trying to set him up with Hermione or something.

"Let me guess, you and my mother came up with some elaborate scheme to make me believe that people are good, blah blah blah, etc. and that I should give you a chance for friendship even though it's a bloody terrible idea and then we'll all hold hands and prance through the garden. Is that it?" he sneered, in full prat mode. He wasn't trying to hurt her feelings, he just didn't like it when people pried.

**"Or we could just go with the more simplified version of the fact that I have been out here since four am, so I was here first. You came out and invaded /my/ space and I tried to sneak back inside before you saw me. Your mother caught me pulled me outside by my ear and thus here we are," she explained in an annoyed tone. **

**"And is it that hard to believe that people can just simply care for you with no ulterior motives?" she asked. "Your mother cares for you. So does Snape, more then you know."**

"Snape only likes me because my mother was nice to him in school or something," Draco sighed, "and my own father wants me dead. Sometimes I even wonder if mother really cares as much as she says she does. Why should she? I'm like a smaller version of the man who abused her their entire marriage. I doubt she can even look at me without seeing Lucius." He shrugged, a little relieved to know that Hermione hadn't had any part in this really. She was just as trapped as him.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you're like a walking, talking angst machine," she said annoyed. "Of course your mother cares about you, Draco. She talks about you all the time and she's really proud of how well you do in school. Sure, you remind her of Lucius, but you're basically a spitting image of him so no duh, but it doesn't matter what you look like. Don't you get that? She is your mother, she loves you for what's inside," she sighed, "not what you look like."**

"Ha, there's laugh," he snorted, "I doubt anyone these days cares about what's inside. All we ever hear is ways to improve your looks, better clothes, surgery, makeup, the new fashions. Honestly, I don't know how you survived unscathed. That hair though..." He 'tsked' and looked ready to sit her down and fix it right now. "Sometimes I wish you'd been introduced to hair products." Sighing, he dropped down in the grass as well, his right hand still holding tightly to the handle of his broom. There was still hope...for escape...

**"You're a complete and utter asshole," she muttered. "I like my hair just the way it is Malfoy. I don't want to have to change anything about my body to please anyone else. Most people groom themselves due to lack of self-confidence or too much of it," she said, narrowing her eyes at his expression. He looked ready to pounce on her and force her to tame the beast that was her hair. **

**"And if you ever try and fix it I'll murder you."**

"Well I'd say you're just afraid of what people would say if you tried to pretty yourself up," Draco huffed, glaring over at her. "I bet Lavender has tried to convince you many times to try a little makeup and /you're/ already convinced that you have to continually defy them in some attempt to prove that looks don't matter when we all know they do." He took a deep breath then, completely out of air after that speech. Draco really had no right to be preaching at her, but he was grumpy and annoyed and was trying to piss her off.

**"Right, because /Lavender/ the Gryffindor whore was a great person to pick as an example," she snapped. "And as a matter of fact I do know how to 'pretty myself up' as you called it, I just choose not to!" she huffed. She turned around, facing the house and putting her back towards Draco, hurt that he had mentioned Lavender. He really was an insensitive prat.**

Glaring at Hermione's back, Draco rolled his eyes stubbornly and sighed. How long exactly was his mother going to make them sit out here? Letting the scowl fade from his face momentarily, Draco glanced around and slid himself a little closer to Hermione's angry form. "If...you know how then how come you never do it?" he asked softly, more curious now, "don't you /like/ to feel attractive?"

**Hermione rested her head into her knees thinking about his question. "Because I don't think I should have to change myself to make someone else happy when I'm quite fine the way I am. And if I dressed up and made sure I was perfect every day then I wouldn't feel as nice or as special when I do occasionally do it," she replied softly.**

**"And I don't really have anyone I need to feel attractive for."**

"I wasn't asking why you don't do it for people around you or some special person," he sighed, "why don't you do it for yourself? Do you think you're pretty? Attractive? Appealing to guys?" He had always wondered what girls thought of themselves since he always found that no matter how beautiful a woman was, inside or out, they believed they were flawed, ugly and that no one would want them.

Hell, he woke up every morning and gave himself a healthy 'You're looking mighty sexy today' speech just to make sure he remembered that. If you didn't love yourself, then it was hard for anyone else to. But...he didn't actually love himself. Drat.

**Hermione's shoulders moved slightly in a shrug. "I guess what you said before was right. I was afraid of what people would say if I did it. Maybe afraid that it wouldn't make any difference what so ever," she told him, thankful that her face was in her knees because her cheeks where flaming red. She never imaged she'd be talking about this with Draco. "And no, personally I don't think I'm that attractive. I know that I'm smart. That's partly why a I read a lot. It's my safe area."**

He frowned in disbelief at the young woman hiding from him. Was she being bloody serious? He'd never really liked Granger at all, but he had to grudgingly admit that she was quite attractive. Out of all the girls in her house, she was the prettiest and definitely the best personalitied, despite the violent outbursts of anger. Which...he caused... Poking her side in annoyance until she finally glanced up at him, Draco frowned at her.

"Please tell me you aren't expecting me to believe that garbage?" he sighed, shaking his head.

**Hermione looked at him confused. "It's not garbage you insensitive prat!" she exclaimed, turning around and putting her back to him once again, muttering things under her breath. "I'm sorry that I don't think I'm the best thing to walk this earth like you think of yourself."**

"What are you all up in a huff about now?" Draco demanded, shoving her lightly from behind, "I was trying to tell you that your way of thinking about yourself is garbage. You should know by now that at least every bloke in Gryffindor fancies you and even a bunch from other houses." Whether it was the fact that she didn't take crap from anyone or that she was just a natural beauty, a lot of guys had developed crushes on her, a fact which Draco had, up until now, found revolting.

**Hermione let out a breath of annoyance as she shuffled away from his hands slightly so he couldn't shove her again as easily as he had the first time. "That's nice, but they don't /know/ me. You said all this crap about everyone liking how I looked when I was angry… Great, so any guy that I might have a chance with will want to make me angry all the time." **

**She then sat up properly and turned around looking at Draco. "Can you make me fly again?"**

Draco stared at her in disbelief. She wanted to fly /now/? "Well I know you and I think you're positively revolting," he mentioned rather cheerfully, seeming to like the idea of flying, "get on the broom." Wow, he certainly had a way with words. It was a wonder that Hermione even spoke to him at all.

**"Yes sir," she said with a silly grin on her face. "Just don't let me fall off the broom again - I know it was****my fault and everything but it was really scary." She looked at the broom for a few moments, seeming to have a few seconds of doubt and hesitation before getting on it. **

**"I bet your mothers positively beaming at the moment, thinking her plan worked."**

"She does like to meddle in my life," Draco nodded sullenly, climbing on behind Hermione again. Unfortunately, this also meant that he would have to be close to her again... He didn't know how much more he could stand of her sweet smell or catching little glimpses of smooth skin beneath her tank top as she moved. Bloody hell, he was scared to go up in the air with her and chance losing control during his distraction.

He checked over the broom, swallowing audibly as his hands traced their way up her long, slender legs to the edge of her very short...shorts... "Are you sure you won't be cold?" he questioned, still eyeing up her assets even as he was getting ready to kick off. Something caught his eyes though and he leaned forward with a smirk, snapping her bra strap on her left shoulder. "Slytherin green, Granger?"

**"I won't be cold," she said with a smile, feeling completely relaxed for some reason. She thought back on the last time she had done this. It really had taken her mind off all her worries which is why she wanted to do it again. She let out a small poutish 'ow' when he flicked her bra strap. "That amazingly does hurt Malfoy, and yes, Slytherin green," she rolled her eyes.**

**"Your mother bought a whole heap of green panties and bras for me for my last birthday...she even wrote in the card 'these will come in handy in the future when you meet that special boy'. I swear...," she mumbled.**

Reddening at the idea that his own mother had been buying Hermione sexy undergarments, he shivered in disgust and kicked off into the air. "See, there you had to go and ruin the deliciously perverted images I had running through my mind," he sighed, "thoughts of my mother aren't exactly a turn on."

Automatically sliding an arm around her, Draco flew higher into the air, finding it a bit warmer here then back at school. Probably since the sun was hitting them full force now. He was in his full quidditch gear though so he wouldn't have to worry about being cold. "Let me know when you're letting go," he whispered against her ear, his chin pretty much propped on her shoulder. He could have moved further away, but there was more of a risk of dropping her.

**"You had perverted images running through your head?" she asked him in disgust. "I don't even want to know…" She shook her head lightly as she leaned into Malfoy without even really noticing that she was doing it. **

**"Okay," she said softly in return, not really wanting to let go just yet. She found it strange that she had never, ever could stand being in the air on a broom but now...with Malfoy she felt...free.**

"If I see so much as a hint of a smile, I'm turning the broom around and taking us straight home," Draco smirked, sounding very much like a parent would as he tried to lighten the mood. It was awkward enough to have himself all wrapped around her when he was fighting dirty mental images of her, but since they're were still peeved off with each other, he was doing his best to be grumpy. Complaining about the sun burning his sensitive skin, he flew even further away from the hideout, suddenly thinking of an appealing idea.

"If I flew far enough, she couldn't get us, you know," he mentioned casually.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Malfoy, I don't want to go that far away. There are people that still want us dead, remember? Plus, your mother wouldn't have given in and I knew that you wanted to fly so I just had to go with you," she said with a small shrug. She tensed slightly when Draco made a sudden movement, one hand gripping tightly onto the arm that was around her waist the other clutching to the broom.**

"Fine, fine, I wasn't really going to do it," he muttered, turning back so they would stay in sight of the house. She had only gone flying so he could? "Why would you come up here with me if you didn't want to?" he asked suspiciously, poking her side with his free hand.

**She rolled her eyes at his constant questions. "I wanted to as well and I wasn't bloody well going to go flying by myself. It cleared my mind the last time you took me flying so I thought it might work this time as well...no luck yet though," she sighed slightly. "Oh…but I think I can do something to make you more comfortable," she chuckled as she carefully leaned forward. Reaching up behind her head she pulled a hair tie off of her wrist and tied her hair up so it wouldn't go into his face.**

"You're an angel," he breathed, so utterly relieved to not have her hair whipping about his face anymore that he pressed a kiss of thanks against her neck, which was conveniently located right in front of where his face currently was. What was with him? He should have been shoving her off the broom, not inhaling the sweet cinnamon aroma that seemed to surround her body…

Now that he wasn't squinting through a large mass of curls, Draco went a little faster, the wind feeling as though it was trying to lift them both off the broom. He knew it wouldn't though since he'd flown many times before.

**Narcissa was looking out at them from the living room window and let out a sigh. "They look like they're in love," she said softly. **

**Snape who was visiting once again let out a small snort. "They look like they're just getting comfortable under the circumstances of being forced together," he told her. **

**Narcissa giggled and rolled her eyes, kissing Snape's cheek briefly. "You're such a dark moody person," she smirked, pulling him into a hug.**

**This of course, was the 'secret' that Hermione had walked in on a little over a year ago which had made her and Narcissa instantly closer. The only reason it was kept secret now was because of Draco. None of them where sure how he would handle it.**

**Hermione chuckled slightly as he kissed her neck. "Wow I didn't know it annoyed you that much," she said lightly, and gave a little squeak when they started to go faster.**

**"I hate flying…I hate flying….," she started to repeat softly under her breath.**

"No you don't, you love it," Draco corrected her, diving down a little so they were flying closer to the ground, "admit it. You like any sport where you sit back and let a big, strong, handsome man do all the work for you." He rolled his eyes, remembering how Pansy had begged and pleaded for a ride with him. He had never seemed to have time to go though...strange.

The blonde closed his eyes, slowing them a little as feelings of frustration and anger came bubbling back up inside him. None of this was fair! Even if Granger hadn't been here, everything about the place and their reason for being here made him angry. He wanted to fight, not hide. Clenching the broom handle so tightly his knuckles went white, Draco threw back his head and let out a wordless shout, releasing the bitterness and pent up emotions that had been driving him batty over the past week or so. Damn, that felt good.

**Hermione jumped when he let out the loud shout and but a hand to her chest as she felt her heart beating wildly. "Merlin, Malfoy. Warn me next time," she breathed, as she looked over her shoulder at him, slight concern showing her facial features. "Are you okay?" she asked him softly. **

**Because, by god, if he was then she was going to beat the bloody life out of him.**

"I-I think so," he whispered, opening his eyes slowly to meet angry honey brown ones. "Before you freak at me though, try it. Yell." He nudged her gently, knowing she wouldn't want to. Not only was it very 'un-ladylike' but it was kind of silly. Shouting from a broom to relieve your stress.

**Hermione looked at him for a few moments before looking forward again. Well if it had made Draco Malfoy feel better then it would be able to make anyone feel better, right? She drew in a deep breath and let out her own shout, all of her frustration, annoyance and anger spilling out.**

He laughed at how loud she was, far louder then his shout, and figured that his mother had probably pissed herself by now back at the house. "That was great!" Draco grinned, nodding encouragingly, "do it again!" He was still chuckling from the first time, amazed that that amount of noise could come out of such a small frame.

**"Hmm no…let's see how loud we can get before your mother comes running out in a panic," she chuckled slightly, looking over her shoulder at him briefly. "Shout at the same time?" she asked him, "that's bound to be a lot louder."**

Smoothing down Hermione's hair as it started to blow in his face again, he nodded with a playful smile. "Do you always have to be so smart?" Draco snickered, looking forward to getting his mother back. "Ready?" He waited for her nod and then whispered 'one...two...three' into her ear.

The both let out shouts so loud that he was sure they were waking the neighbors way at the end of the acreage. His yelled dissolved into a chuckled as he laughed warmly. Damn, that really felt bloody good. Maybe he would have to scream more often.

**Hermione laughed softly, hearing Draco's own laugh and wishing that he would do it more often. It really did sound nice. She moved the broom slightly so they looked towards the house and pouted. "It doesn't look like she's freaked out enough Draco…one more time?" She smiled when Draco gave his nod and this time she counted up to three before they both let out a second attack of shouts which seemed even louder. **

Draco watched as his mother and Snape came bursting from the house, wands drawn and ready for battle. They seemed to think that the teens where under some kind of attack which only made Draco laugh harder.

"Just what the bloody hell do you think you're doing up there?!" Narcissa demanded, swearing for probably the first time in Draco's life.

"You told us to sort it out!" he called back, chuckling even as he spoke. They were too high to be punished just yet and Snape looked furious that he'd been dragged outside into the bright sunshine for nothing.

"Wait...professor? When did you get here?" he asked carefully, noticing a bit of Narcissa's lipstick on Snape's cheek. Of course, she always kissed the man hello, but he felt strangely suspicious all of a sudden.

**Hermione laughed along with Draco. "We decided that yelling is the best way to deal with it," she called down to them. Hermione looked to the professor and then pointedly rubbed her cheek. Snape's hand went up instantly and rubbed his cheek as if nothing was amiss. **

**"I decided that it was time to visit once again. You don't want me here Draco?" Snape asked.**

"I'm just beginning to wonder why Hermione so discreetly motioned for you to take my mother's lipstick off your face," he smirked, raising an eyebrow as his mother actually blushed. He looked at Hermione and then back down to his mother and godfather and finally had enough of it.

"All right, enough games. Tell me what's really going on," he demanded, flying down low enough to dismount and then offering Hermione a hand down as well.

**Hermione blushed when he pointed this out and sighed as he flew down. She gave him a small smile, taking his hand as she got off the broom, before letting go and rubbing the back of her neck uncomfortably. **

**"Hermione, I do believe you should say this," Narcissa said, a little frightened to tell her son. **

**"Me?" she demanded, "why me?!"**

"**Because you're the one that 'discreetly' told Severus to rub the lipstick off," Narcissa replied. **

**Hermione huffed and crossed her arms. "Well you're the one that put the lipstick there."**

"Mother!" Draco exclaimed, looking horrified at what Hermione was accusing her of, "tell me. Now. What is going on?" He crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance and glared at the other three people one by one. Everyone here knew something that he didn't and he was tired of it.

"Well?"

**"Personally I think you should explain it to him. It's your son," Hermione stated, looking at the both of them. She then sighed and glanced at Draco, deciding to start the explanation of for then before Draco got too annoyed and angry. "You might want to go yell again after you find out," she warned him.  
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Mwahaha. We're stopping it here! Right before the explanation of the big secret. grins Chapter thirteen is already written though so don't freak out at us! hides It will be posted the moment this on is validated. Anyhow, thanks for all the reviews last chapter and we hope you don't hate us too much for making you wait again! 


	13. Flying is just falling with style

Welcome back everyone to the chapter where you will all find out what Snape, Narcissa and Hermione have been hiding all this time. A lot of you had good guesses, but you were only half right. It goes a lot deeper then Narcissa and Snape simply having a relationship… grins Well, why don't you all read and find out…

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Last Chapter: "Mother!" Draco exclaimed, looking horrified at what Hermione was accusing her of, "tell me. Now. What is going on?" He crossed his arms over his chest in annoyance and glared at the other three people one by one. Everyone here knew something that he didn't and he was tired of it. 

"Well?"

"Personally I think you should explain it to him. It's your son," Hermione stated, looking at the both of them. She then sighed and glanced at Draco, deciding to start the explanation of for then before Draco got too annoyed and angry. "You might want to go yell again after you find out," she warned him.

**:-:**

**"Okay, so about a year ago I went down to Professor Snape's office..." She paused slightly, suddenly aware that she was probably going to be the one explain the whole thing to him.**

**"Well...I was about to knock but stopped hearing a female voice inside," she said pointing to Narcissa, "I heard them talking for a little bit...and that's when they started talking about you...about you not being Lucius' son but Severus'."**

Draco frowned for a moment as if trying to make sense of what she had just said. "What? Snape? But that would mean..." He trailed off and stared at his mother in surprise. No... This was just a joke right? They were helping Hermione be a prat?

"Mum?" he said in a shaky voice, "mum tell me what she's talking about." He needed to hear it from her lips and no one else's. "Did you...I mean...are you...? Uh..." He shook his head, in complete denial of the truth.

**Narcissa let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry we haven't told you before hand Draco, but what she says is the truth. Severus is your father...," she said softly. "I was pregnant with you before I got married to Lucius. I was one month pregnant...Severus tried to get me to marry him instead but I couldn't go against my family's wishes no matter how much I wanted to... You have a glamour spell on you. You look a lot like me, but you had Severus' eyes and we couldn't let Lucius see them other wise he would have killed us both."**

"Snape…is my…dad…," Draco managed to squeak out, his eyes wide as he looked at the nervous potions professor. What was he supposed to say to that? He was…happy? Bloody hell… The blonde suddenly sat to the ground, looking dazed. That meant all the years of torment and misery and being taught his arrogant ways could have been avoided…and his mother… All the times Lucius had hurt her…

"How could you stand being with father…uh…Lucius…when he…all those times…" Draco closed his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach. Did Lucius know? Is that why he had no problem going through with a murder request from Voldemort? "Does…father know?" he asked softly, cringing at the word 'father', "and you two…every time Snape was visiting…?" He groaned and buried his face in his hands. Gross. He really didn't want to think about that right now.

**Narcissa shook her head gently. "Not even Voldemort suspects it. Severus was able to put a shield around some of my more important memories as well as his own. No one but us four here know who your real father is," Narcissa told her son softly, reaching down and placing her hand on top of his head. **

**"Please don't hate me for not telling you Draco. There was so many times that I came close to but I was too scared." **

Draco jerked away from his mother's touch and frowned at them all, looking betrayed. "You waited SEVENTEEN years to tell me?!" he snapped, looking furious, "seventeen years of believing that horrible man was my father and that no matter what I did I could never make him happy..." Draco focused his angry glare on Snape.

"I had a right to know. And as far as I'm concerned I don't need you /or/ mother so you can all piss off." Blinking back tears, Draco leapt onto his broom and shot up into the sky again, fighting the tight feeling in his chest that was making him want to burst into tears. How could they hide something like that from him? He had never been more angry with his mother then he was right now.

**Hermione watched Draco speed off and looked to Narcissa who looked seconds away from bursting out** **into tears herself. Severus looked rather unhappy, though seemed to be dealing with it a lot better then Narcissa, went and put an arm around her shoulder. That was it for the delicate woman as she burst out into tears and clutched onto her lover. Snape lead her inside as Hermione bit her bottom lip, hating to see Narcissa so upset. She looked back to the sky before taking a breath and walking inside going to Harry's room. It was time to take matters into her own two hands.**

**She searched around through the mess for a bit before finding his spare broom. "I can do this," she said to herself, trying to make herself believe. She walked back outside and mounted the broom before kicking off and slowly rising, her heart going about ten times faster now. "Merlin," she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut for a few moments to try and calm herself down. "I can do this," she said once again, waiting until she was steady before going after Draco. Once she spotted him a little bit away she yelled his name.**

Draco gripped his broom tightly, planning on flying higher and higher until he couldn't breathe anymore. Maybe he could make it to the sun before he ran out of air... Shaking his head to clear it of such foolish thoughts, he tried to stop shaking. The idea that anyone but Lucius was his father was a scary concept and he didn't appreciate the way his mother had just sprung it on him like that after hiding it for so many years. They should have told him the moment he was old enough to keep his mouth shut! Brooding angrily as he circled the same bit of air over and over again. He must have been starting to lose it since he swore he heard Granger's voice. Ha. That would be the icing on the cake.

Wait a minute... That /was/ her voice. He jerked his head in the direction it had come from and felt his jaw drop as Hermione came flying shakily towards him. She looked like she thought the broom was going to try and buck her off at any moment and he just sat there, in shock and waiting, as she came closer. Hermione Granger voluntarily on a broom. Now he had seen everything.

**Hermione eventually made it to him and was shaking slightly, though not for the same reasons that Draco was, as she took long deep breaths trying to calm herself down. She couldn't help looking at how far down the ground was... If she fell there was nothing to help her. She'd be dead. Splat. Kaboom. Gone. Nada. Nothing. She then thought of how everyone played Quidditch spinning about going upside down. **

**She felt like she was going to vomit. "Thought you might need company," Hermione said weakly, not even looking at him. Her eyes were still glued very firmly onto her hands and the ground.**

"You came all the way up here, risking your life and the chance that I might blow up at you just to keep me company?" Draco frowned, moving his broom a little closer to hers. He didn't entirely trust her flying and he knew all too well how far it was down to the ground below. Nudging her a little, he offered her his hand. "Just in case," he shrugged, "and not staring at the ground helps." He was still pissed. Beyond pissed. But the anger was on the backburner temporarily since his concern for her had taken over.

**Hermione took a few more steady, calming breaths as she took hold of his hand and finally looked away from the ground to his face. "I like the ground very much, I was scared it would vanish," she told him with a small strained smile. "I don't know how you can fly...I hate it."**

**"And…yes I did. I figured you need someone to be mad at instead of letting it simmer inside you."**

Draco rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand, appearing to not realize he was even doing it. "I'm not getting mad at you, Granger," he frowned, "they're the adults and they should have stopped acting like stupid little kids and told me! I have a right to know who my...my father...is..." His hand tightened around hers and he looked rest to go flying off again in an angry rage.

"Whatever," he finally muttered, "I'm not speaking to them until they give me one good reason why I wasn't allowed to know." Draco didn't know why, but he was flip flopping between wanting to scream and wanting to cry. Did he even have the right to be mad?

**Hermione gave his hand a squeeze when she felt it tighten around hers. "You have every reason to be** **angry Draco," she told him softly, "but they were scared of what would happen if you knew." She drew in a breath and let it out again. "I don't really understand it myself, but from what I've heard and what I can gather is that when Lucius…ahh...when he...those times…" She was obviously very uncomfortable. **

**"When he did things to you," she said finally, getting it out in a way that she wasn't uncomfortable to say it, "he would also search your mind...to make sure you were loyal. Narcissa was scared that maybe you wouldn't be able to block him and that if he knew the truth that he'd kill you, her and Severus."**

"You seem to be very well informed," Draco said bitterly, taking his hand back and glaring down at his broom. Maybe he was just being a spoiled child, but he didn't think it was fair that Hermione knew all these things about him and his family that even /he/ didn't know. "Any other secrets I should know?" he huffed, "a bastard brother somewhere with two heads? Maybe Narcissa isn't even really my mother? How do you even know all this stuff?" He frowned and looked at her, honestly wondering. His mother wasn't that desperate for friends, was she?

**Hermione blushed slightly and looked away. "Well…it's quite by accident really and as you've probably figured out already I'm quite nosy," she blushed, putting her hand back to her broom feeling and a lot more in danger now that he wasn't holding onto her. She looked briefly at the broom as if it would suddenly vanish before looking back at him. "I did say this before, but you properly weren't listening. I went to visit Severus about something, I can't remember what it was, but it was important at the time. I heard the two of them talking about you and I just had to see if it was actually your mother and since I'd never actually heard her speak before I wasn't sure... So I ran up and down the corridor a few times making myself look flustered before running into the classroom...I saw Narcissa and Snape...cuddling," she explained with a small shiver. Had she gone in ten minutes later she might have seen more then cuddling. **

**"And then Snape, finding out what I knew...was quite angry at me and he made me swear to a unbreakable vow of silence."**

Draco glared angrily, his gaze somewhere else as he thought. So those two had been having a sick little affair right under his nose and he never knew. And Narcissa had said there was a glamour spell used... So what the hell did he really look like? Were his features now like his mothers or would he become a completely different person when it was removed? His breathing quickened as he began to hyperventilate, trying not to think about the fact that he may have grown up under a fake identity...a face that wasn't even his.

"They still should have told me," Draco whispered, touching a hand to his chest as it became harder and harder to breathe. He was too worked up... Merlin, this felt like the panic attacks he used to get as a little boy.

**"Draco?" she asked looking at him in concern as his hand went to his chest. "Are you okay?" she asked frowning slightly as she realized that his breathing was becoming more sharp, like he was struggling to get air. "I think you should go on the ground for a bit," she told him hoping to merlin that he wouldn't faint or something. **

**Like hell she would be able to catch him.**

"I-I'm fine," he said stubbornly, breathing in deeply through his nose and out again through his lips. He just needed to calm down and maybe shout a bit more. No, he knew what he needed to do. Nearly knocking the poor girl from her broom, Draco yanked Hermione close and kissed her, the kind of hot and steamy, desperate kiss two people shared when they were afraid of the other person pulling away... He needed those lips though so it was too damn bad for her.

**Hermione let out a small gasp of surprise when she felt herself being yanked towards him. She was even more surprised when he started kissing her. This kiss was different from any of the others and even though she couldn't really put her finger onto why, she just knew that it was. She kissed back for a few moments before pulling away. **

**"Draco," she scolded gently, "please don't do that in mid-air, my nervous system can't handle it."**

"Fine," he growled, grabbing her around the waist and dive bombing towards the ground, dragging her and her broom along with him. The anger, hurt, confusion, and just plain frustration he was feeling was driving him mad and kissing her seemed to have the same effect as screaming it all out, with more enjoyable results.

They weren't even to a full stop yet when he pretty much tackled Hermione to the soft grass, their brooms skidding to stops a few feet away as he attacked her mouth forcefully with his own. As long as he was kissing her he didn't have to think about anything else. Draco could just lose himself in the feeling of another person, even if it was Granger.

**Hermione let out a small scream and buried her head into his shoulder as he dive bombed them towards the ground. She was going to kill him when he was feeling better - a very painful murder. She let out a small 'umph' when her back went into the ground, but it seemed Draco didn't miss a beat as he was suddenly with her again, kissing her like there would be no tomorrow. **

**She kissed him back, though couldn't help the feeling of being...used.**

As the frustrations bottled up inside of him began to melt away, Draco felt immensely better. He snogged the life out of Hermione for the next ten minutes or so before suddenly jerking back, panting as he gazed at her. Then, as if nothing had happened, he hopped up and brushed himself off, heading for the house and leaving Hermione behind, still laying in the grass.

**Hermione stared up at the sky in shock. What the bloody hell had just happened? He just snogged her for a little over ten minutes and then got up and walked away? No wonder none of the girls went back to him afterwards. He may be good but he was just to damn rude, insulting and cold! She didn't know how to handle all this…she hadn't even kissed /Ron/ like that for that length of time.**

Draco didn't even give a second thought to the girl he'd just left behind in the grassy field, strolling into the house and ignoring his mother and Snape on the couch as he stalked up the stairs to his room. To him, it had been like a simple stress reliever and she had been willing enough. He did it all the time. Still, the tiniest bit of guilt trickled into him as he flopped down onto his bed and sighed. Did Granger care that he did that? She hadn't screamed after him or anything...

**Hermione laid there on the grass for quite some time and at the moment her tears started fall so did the rain, but it didn't bother her. In fact it was helping her get over what had just happened. She couldn't believe that prick...how could he be so insensitive?! He could have /at least/ said thank you or something, or some kind of acknowledgement. Really. She sniffled slightly before sneezing.**

Draco sat up worriedly though as it started to rain, thinking of his beautiful broom that had been abandoned carelessly outside. If he didn't keep it specially oiled and waxed then it didn't fly as nice. Drat. He got up again and ran past his mother who was just coming up to speak with him, bursting through the front door into the current downpour. It seemed that he had come in just in time. But...his broom!

Sucking it up, Draco ignoring how quickly he became soaked as he jogged towards the place they'd left the brooms. "Granger?" he shouted over the noise of the rain as he almost stepped on her, "what are you doing out here in this rain? Have you gone completely mental?" Snatching up his broom, he glanced to her again. She hadn't thought that he came out here for /her/ did she?

**Hermione looked at him and rolled her eyes looking away again. "Oh sod off Malfoy. Go take your precious broom inside so it doesn't get anymore wet," she snapped, getting up and pushing past him more then a little roughly as she jogged back towards the house. She moved through it, tracking water everywhere before finally reaching the bathroom and locking herself inside to have a nice hot shower as she let out another sneeze.**

Draco swore and nearly fell over onto the soggy ground as she shoved him. "What's your problem?!" he shouted after her grumpily. Very delicately carrying his 'precious' broom inside, Draco made a great show of drying it off with a towel and rubbing fresh oil into the gleaming wooden handle while Snape watch silently.

Narcissa had retired to her room for the day, miserable that her son was so angry and unable to sit with Snape since it only made her cry more. "Would you like me to leave?" Snape's silky voice asked, drifting over to Draco as he scrubbed a little harder.

"Suit yourself," he remarked, like it didn't matter either way.

**Hermione wrapped a large fluffy towel around her body after drying herself off from the lovely warm shower. She walked silently to her room and shut herself in to get dressed in some small comfortable yellow boxers and just a plain white shirt before pulling on a rather large jacket and slipping her feet into some very fluffy slippers. She let out a content sigh and went back downstairs just as Snape asked Draco if he wanted him to leave.**

**She let out a small snort hearing Draco's reply. Stubborn bastard. **

**"Don't leave, Severus," she pleaded, coming out, "Draco's just being an arse and he'll get over it when he realizes that this is what he wanted." Walking past the stupid blonde in annoyance, she went into the kitchen, intent on making herself some lovely warm cocoa. "Would you like a tea Severus?" she asked poking her head out.**

"Yes, thank you, Hermione," Snape replied quietly, seeming unfazed by the fact that she was calling him 'Severus'. He had given up protesting things these women did a long time ago. It didn't do much good. He watched his son lovingly care for his broom as the girl he /should/ be paying attention to got him a hot cup of tea. How long was the boy going to stay mad at him?

Draco finished up what he was doing and stripped off the outer layer of his quidditch uniform so he wouldn't get mud and water all over the house. Strolling into the kitchen in his soggy boxers and muscle shirt, he reached past Hermione for a mug in the cupboard. "Move it, Granger," he grouched, nearly dropping the cup in the process.

**"Wait till I'm finished Malfoy," she replied coldly, not even looking at him as she prepared a cup of hot cocoa for herself and two cups of tea; one for Severus and one for Narcissa. She took her sweet time doing it too just to piss him off. She then managed to pick up the three mugs at once after saying a cooling charm on the cups themselves while the drink inside stayed hot. Hermione walked away and turned, opening the door with her backside as she briefly looked at Draco and shook her head before walking out. The door shut quietly behind her.**

**"Here you go, Severus," she said handing him the cup of tea, "and I wouldn't worry too much. I think he's relieved to find that you're his father instead of Lucius. It's just the fact that he wasn't told sooner," she said, leaving to take the two mugs she had left to Narcissa's room.**

Draco only smirked and hummed to himself as he made himself his own cup of hot cocoa. He felt good now for some weird reason and felt like taking a hot shower and maybe having a bite to eat. He didn't have much else to do since he'd already completed work for next week's classes and trudged quietly past his godfather, heading up the stairs without a word to him.

get jess to write something here about talking with Narcissa :P

"Stubborn," Snape nodded quietly to himself, a small smile coming to his lips even though he didn't feel terribly happy. Draco was more like him then he knew. The blonde heard his mother crying and paused outside the door, wondering if he should go in. Draco's hand had barely touched the door when Hermione's voice came drifting out as well. Granger? Why was she always meddling in his family's affairs? Gritted his teeth angrily, he was about to burst in and tell her she already had a mother and to piss off when Narcissa's words froze him in place.

**Hermione looked at the distraught woman and suddenly felt like going along with her earlier intentions of murdering Draco painfully. How could he be this stubborn and mean when he knew his mother was this upset? Granted a lot had been thrown on him today but still. His poor mother. **

**"Cissa, have some tea," she instructed the woman gently. "It'll make you feel a little better I promise. Draco will come around," she said softly as another sob racked through Narcissa's body.**

"I just want him to have a chance to experience a father's love," she sobbed helplessly to Hermione, shaking her head at the offer of tea, "can't he see how much Severus cares about him? All these years he's always watched over him and been so proud...and I've destroyed their chances at a proper father/son relationship. I waited to long to tell him...my draciekins...is a man now...and he doesn't want a new father forced on him."

The arrogant scowl that had been on Draco's face only a moment before disappeared as he gripped the doorframe tightly. He wanted to go to her, to hug her and tell her that his reluctance to accept Snape wasn't her fault. Not at all...

**Hermione looked at Narcissa sadly. "He can see Cissa," she told the woman softly, "even before he knew Severus was his father, he knew that the man cared about him. He just didn't know why is my guess... But you can't expect him to come around straight away. Give it a little time for Draco to cool his temper off." **

**"I…I saw the two of you out on the grass before - " Narcissa started but was cut off when Hermione stood up. **

**"I don't really want to talk about that sorry...," Hermione replied softly and when Narcissa saw the hurt cross over her face briefly, she gave a soft sigh. What had her son done this time? He was so innocent in the real matters of the heart thanks to his 'father' **

**"I understand," Narcissa nodded. Hermione bent down and gave the woman a hug. **

**"Both Draco and Severus are stubborn, they're a lot alike... Just one question though." She bit her lip and Narcissa gave another small nod, saying she was listening. "Please tell me…Draco doesn't have Severus' nose does he?"**

He'd heard enough. As his mother let out a surprised laugh, he headed to his room down the hall, slamming the door and sighing. He really wanted to go apologize to his mother for his words but he wanted to do it when the mudblood wasn't there. She just loved shoving her stupid nose in where it didn't belong and meddling. Such a woman.

Still, Draco felt strange. Like he actually cared about the fact that he'd hurt someone's feelings. This was new... He flopped down again onto the bed, peeling off his wet shirt. Why had Hermione sounded so hurt when Narcissa asked about them? She could have just said it was nothing. That girl never made any sense.

**Hermione stayed with Narcissa for a few more moments before walking out as Narcissa laid down suddenly feeling very tired from all the crying. She never did get her answer though. She didn't want a shock when his glamour came of to find a bloody huge pointed nose right where his cute, slightly rounded nose was. "Why am I thinking about his nose?" she asked herself, feeling slightly crazy. **

**She then stopped in front of Draco's room contemplating if she should go in or not. She knocked briefly before coming in slamming the door behind her for dramatic effects and glaring at him. **

**"Put a shirt on so I can yell at you," she demanded before she could stop herself, suddenly feeling rather distracted by his bare...rather nice torso.**

"Why don't you take yours off so I can yell back," he smirked, leaning casually back against the wall with a quidditch book he'd just opened to read. It appeared that Granger felt the need to shriek at him first though.

Setting down his book, Draco settled in for a long scolding. He made sure to stretch out nicely along the bed, facing her, so she could keep feasting her eyes on his wonderful body since that was clearly what she was doing now.

"You were yelling?" he asked, saying it the same sort of way any normal person would add 'you were saying?'. Ha. She couldn't stop staring at his chest.

**Hermione glared at him harshly after looking away from his chest and walked over to his drawers, yanking one open she looked through it. Pulling out a shirt, she chucked it at him forcefully. "Put it on now Malfoy, or I'll put it on for you," she snapped, clearly not in the mood for his sarcastic reply.**

Sitting up with a smug expression, he raised his arms in the air as if he was waiting for her to come and dress him. Ah, there was the irritable Granger he knew and loathed. He could tell he was really getting to her at the moment. Smiling cheekily, he waited to see what she would do.

**Oh no, he wasn't getting the best of her today. She growled slightly and came over to him, lifting the shirt up and roughly shoving his head through the proper hole. Eventually with some struggling the shirt was on. **

**She took a step back, hands on hips still glaring.**

Not helping at all as she struggled and tugged and finally got the shirt on him, Draco leaned back. She had an interesting choice considering this t-shirt was a bit small now and hugged his body in a way that defeated the purpose of wearing clothes at all. "A little rough, but that's how I like it," Draco chuckled, looking at her expectantly. "Well? I put on a shirt just like you asked. Now you have to take off yours."

**She glared at him before shrugging. "Okay, fine, I'll take my shirt off," she said, taking off the jacket that she was wearing before pulling off the shirt underneath...to reveal yet another shirt. "There," she said smugly dangling the shirt she had taken off, "all gone." **

**Even though his shirt was more then a little tight at least it wasn't his bare skin that she was seeing.**

"That one too," he ordered, seeming pleased with his success, "come now, off off off." He looked ready to come over there and take it off for her. Hidden beneath the layers and jackets and grumpy exterior, Granger had a figure. Huh, who would've guessed? Waiting impatiently, he raised an eyebrow at her. "Need some help?"

**"No, and no, the shirt is not coming off Malfoy," she snapped, clearly not happy at the extent he was going to, to try and see her naked or something... What the hell was she to him? Some bloody kiss therapy machine? She wasn't going to just stand there and let him watch her naked so he could relieve some stress. No way. The anger grew brighter in her eyes as she continued to glare at him, getting ready to start her fit.**

"Can you spin for me, slowly?" he asked, still smirking. How far could he push her before she exploded at him? It was coming, that much he knew. Hermione had always loved screaming at him as much as he liked aggravating her. Rummaging in his suitcase quickly, he came up with a case of charcoal pencils and a stack of parchment. "I said spin, Granger."

**Hermione growled, her fists clenching as she glared at him, getting even angrier from his perverted question. Like hell she was going to spin for him and feel like an idiot! "No I bloody well will not spin for you!" she snapped after he said it the second time, "You're a perve- Wait. What's with the charcoal pencils and parchment? Do you draw?" she asked, her attention instantly diverted. **

**Seriously. Sometimes she had the attention span of a goldfish.**

"Do what I asked you to and I'll show you," he rolled his eyes, not believing how easy it just was to divert her anger. Honestly, now he just needed something shiny to dangle in front of her whenever she was pissed. Propping the paper against his legs, Draco selected a medium size pencil and peeled back the paper around the tip a bit. "Don't make me ask again," he said softly.

**Hermione studied Draco for a few more moments before sighing giving in because she was really, really curious about the fact that he seemed to draw.**

**Curiosity killed the cat, said a small voice of the side of her mind. "And satisfaction brought it back," she said softly under her breath so Draco couldn't hear. She looked at him again. "Slow enough?" she asked starting to turn. If he took too long though she was going to get dizzy and knock herself out by falling into a random piece of furniture.**

"You don't have to keep spinning," he snickered, "I just needed a once over." Nibbling on his lower lip as he studied her body intently, Draco smirked and drew a few lines on the page, smudging them and then continuing on. His eyes on her were intense enough that she probably felt like she /wasn't/ wearing anything. Only a minute or two later, he held up the page for her to see. It was like a miniature Hermione had come to life on the page, her hand perched on her hip in the usual angry fashion. Looking at the amazing drawing with a sigh, he crumpled it into a ball before she could stop him. He never thought anything was good enough.

**Hermione gaped as Draco crumpled up the drawing. "What the hell are you doing Draco Malfoy! Give me that!" she exclaimed, snatching it and un-scrunching it. Seriously, she had about three seconds to look at it before he crumpled it into a ball. Bastard. She studied it for a little bit before shaking her head slightly. "It's a great sketch Malfoy but I look nothing like that!" **

**The woman in the sketch was way too attractive to be her.**

"It may not be my best work, okay...it pretty much sucks, but that does look like you, Granger," he frowned, wishing he'd ripped it up as well. She had no business keeping him from destroying his trash artwork. She probably didn't know that he'd already been drawing her for years though. His instructor had made him choose a model for his homework and after the first few times he'd drawn her, it was just easier to stick with the same person. Rolling his eyes as she gazed at his drawing, he hopped up and grabbed a pair of pants.

"Wait until you see my paintings," he smirked, pulling the pants on and buttoning them, "I'll go grab my supplies, mother has them down in the kitchen." He didn't wait for her to say she wanted to, just walking out of the room to go fetch them. Unfortunately, his had left his suitcase open and his portfolio was in plain view, half a picture of Hermione's smiling face poking out.

**Hermione sighed and plopped down onto his bed crossing her legs wondering what she had gotten herself into. She hummed softly to herself as she looked around the room before something caught her eye. Herself in fact. Hermione frowned and looked down at the portfolio in his suitcase. Stepping off the bed she went over and grabbed it before sitting back down, putting her back against the wall. She opened the cover and looked at the first sketch. A sketch of herself. Smiling. Shocked, she looked at the next sketch which was one of his mother. Hermione was awed at how beautiful Narcissa looked. Then there was a watercolor of herself, this time she was angry...**

"**Wow…," she said softly, the full impact of this not sinking in yet as she continued to look through all the sketches. Most of them where of her, but a few other's scattered through of some Slytherins. Mostly Blaise** **and more of his mother, even one of Snape...but no Lucius.**

Draco banged around in the kitchen with a frown. Where had his mother put his things? Opening a few drawers, he finally found his case of paints and watercolors and moved to go when he found Snape blocking his retreat. "I'm going now," the dark man said softly, hesitating for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Draco in a warm hug. "I've always loved you like a son and I always will, even if you despise me for keeping it a secret." Straightening and clearing his throat, Snape stalking out of the house and apparated away.

Draco was dumbstruck for a moment before he shook it off and hurried to the stairs, not wanting to think about what Snape had said. Right now, he was going to show off some more of his talents. However, when he arrived back at the room he nearly dropped everything in his arms. Granger...was going through his stuff.

**Hermione hadn't noticed Malfoy come back, she was so wrapped up in the fact that he had been drawing her...for years by the looks of all of this...years he had been watching her, studying her, drawing her. She felt violated...but it also gave her a warm feeling inside, one that she didn't understand. Why had he been drawing her? She moved slightly, her back uncomfortable against the wall as she sat at the end of his bed as she looked at the next sketch...**

**It had to be her in their first year, her hand raised eagerly in potions class. She could tell that by the look on her face. Only potions and Snape got that look. It was one of anger, of being ignored when she very clearly had the right answer and her housemates kept getting points taken away for having the wrong answers. So much detail...to the last strand of hair.**

"Enjoying yourself?" he snapped from the doorway, feeling panic rising in his chest. How many had she looked at? Almost everything in his art folder was of her...what would she say? Feeling his cheeks going red with embarrassment and anger that she had went snooping through his things, Draco marched forward and snatched the picture out of her hand, crushing it in his own.

**Hermione looked up at him still a little stunned that she had just seen all those drawings of herself. She ringed her hands with each other slowly...uncomfortable as she continued to look at him, not really sure what to say. What could she say? Stop bloody well drawing me? You could have least asked? Draw me naked? She nearly fainted from the last thought.**

Angrily tearing the drawing she had been looking at in half, he grabbed the portfolio from Hermione as well and shoved it roughly into his suitcase again. "Anything else you'd like to invade while you're here?" he hissed, snapping the suitcase closed, "my underwear drawer perhaps? My diary?" His words dripped heavily with sarcasm and it appeared that the brief glimpse she'd gotten at a different kind of Draco was gone. If anything, she should be the angry one. Malfoy had been following her around, drawing pictures since first year!

**Hermione wasn't angry. Instead she looked at him tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly before walking out the bedroom, leaving him alone. She had never felt more special then when she was looking at all those drawings of herself. No one had ever told her that she was pretty, well besides her parents and Draco once said she was attractive when angry...but he had been drawing her since first year... Out of all the girls in the school, he had been drawing her.**

Thank you? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?! Stupid Granger... He slumped down onto his bed in annoyance and wondered why she hadn't flipped at him for all the pictures he had done. She made no sense. Taking out a fresh piece of parchment, Draco propped it up against the wall and got out his watercolors. Maybe painting would cheer him up... Sadly, as he dipped his brush in the soft auburn colour for Hermione's hair, he knew that painting wasn't going to get his mind off of her.

**Hermione lay down in her bed wrapped in her large blankets thinking about, not surprisingly, Draco Malfoy. Why had he been drawing her all these years? She was curious, so getting up out of her warm bed after spending a record of twenty or so minutes in it she pulled on her robe and walked back to Draco's room, knocking on the door softly. Without waiting for any kind of answer, she opened it and walked in closing it softly behind her as she looked at him. **

**"Why me?"  
**

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Why her?! Well besides the obvious reasons that all us fangirls would like to think. snickers The next chapter has a lot of fun things in it and sorry to any of you who think that Draco isn't the artist type, but we figured he would have had lessons in many things as a child. Piano, drawing, etiquette. Who knows, maybe even dancing. Haha. Rich families always put their children through that sort of thing. And it just shows that he's had his eye on her for some time… Anyhow, thanks again for all the wonderful reviews that chapter and we hope you all enjoyed discovering the secret. ;) Until next chapter 


	14. Singing in the rain

All right! After a very, very, very long delay, Nat has decided to get off her butt and post the rest of the chapters as she edits them. To everyone from , sorry that we no longer update there. It was just too much of a hassle and it was one of the things that ended up killing our desire to update. Anyhow, lots of chapters are already finished. In fact, this 'part one' of the story is complete and has twenty chapters. The next segment is pretty far in as well so hopefully some of you are excited and sticking around to read. XD

Keep in mind that this is a roleplay over msn that has been copied and pasted into a word document and read over for typos, etc. Bold is Jess, normal text is Nat. Enjoy!

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Last Chapter: **Hermione lay down in her bed wrapped in her large blankets thinking about, not surprisingly, Draco Malfoy. Why had he been drawing her all these years? She was curious, so getting up out of her warm bed after spending a record of twenty or so minutes in it she pulled on her robe and walked back to Draco's room, knocking on the door softly. Without waiting for any kind of answer, she opened it and walked in closing it softly behind her as she looked at him. **

**"Why me?"**

:-:

Draco scrambled to hide the piece he was currently working on as Hermione barged back into the room, well, she had sort of knocked, but still. "Why you what?" he glared, crossing his arms and looking kind of silly since he had paint on his cheek. He didn't have any idea what she was talking about, he was just trying to stop her from seeing his latest picture of her. It was the image of her he had been trying to get out of his head, arms thrown out to the sides and eyes closed as she smiled and let herself 'fly'. He doubted it would go over well.

**"Why draw me?" she asked him softly, wanting the real answer not some defensive snide comment probably containing how he couldn't find an uglier person and that had been his objective. He would clearly be able to tell that she wasn't angry. A little uncomfortable and unsure, yes, but not angry. She wasn't even sure why she wasn't angry herself. She decided to ignore at the moment the fact that he had quickly hidden what he was currently working on.**

"You look good on paper?" he shrugged, not really sure why himself. The first time he'd sketched her it had turned out so much nicer then his other drawings so he just kept using her. Looking down at his hands, Draco sighed. Why /did/ he obsess over her like this? He liked yelling at her and having her yell at him. Hell, he sort of like being bossed around too, even if he didn't listen. Narcissa had never been 'bossy' and Pansy was a pushover. There was something that he could always see in his pictures and in her that had been eating away at him inside. Her spirit and her heart were just so bloody gorgeous that they came through even in a pencil drawing. There was /no/ way he was ever saying that though. End of story.

**"Oh well...now I know I wasn't going crazy over the years always thinking someone was watching me," she said giving him a small, slightly amused smile. She really had been extremely paranoid all the time thinking someone was watching her, always feeling eyes penetrating her. Everyone had told her she was crazy. Apparently however she wasn't. **

**"You could have asked."**

"Ha! That's a laugh," he scoffed, "just waltz right up to you and say 'oh hey mudblood, I need you to pose for this project I have. My teacher like the pictures with you in them the best'?" If he had said that to Hermione she probably would have thought it was some kind of trick...or just laughed at him.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Well obviously I would have said no if you had called me mudblood and I wish you /would/ stop calling me that. I don't run around calling you pureblood or Draconis," she chuckled, still not believing that Draconis was his whole name. **

**"You can ask me now," she told him, not really sure what she was saying. Now that she knew that he was drawing her...she sort of liked it.**

Draco made a face at hearing his name and glared at her. No one was supposed to know about that, but thanks to his stupid mother now the worst person of all did. "Why would I ask you now?" he scoffed, "so you can say no? Make fun of me? No thanks. Besides, a portrait turns out the best when the person doesn't realize you're sketching them, just like taking photos." Or at least that's what his instructor had said. People tended to let themselves go with a real smile or just relax when they weren't aware they were being watched.

He had the urge to just insult her and make her cry so she'd leave or something. This conversation was starting to sound dangerously like something friends would talk about. They weren't friends! No…friends didn't snog each other whenever they got angry and then pretend it didn't happen… He groaned at his own thoughts and rubbed his eyes mournfully. Draco really had to stop kissing her.

**Hermione rolled her eyes and walked out the room, shutting the door without saying or doing anything else. He was a complete and utter bastard, that he was. What gave him the right to paint, sketch whatever her for almost seven whole years and then kiss her when he was angry and walk off without saying anything? He was using her, in more ways the one. Plain and simple. She went into her room and grabbed the best thing invented by muggle kind. Her Ipod. **

**She then plugged her ears with the headphones and laid down on a couch in the lounge room, closing her eyes to block out the whole world as she listened to her music.**

Growling in annoyance that Hermione had taken /his/ normal course of action and stalked out of the room, he set his paintbrush down carefully and made sure nothing would spill before headed after her. This conversation was far from over! Banging open the door to her room, he found it surprisingly empty and was thrown off for a moment. Where did she go?

Shutting his mouth, which had been open in anticipation of shouting, Draco slammed the door shut again and headed downstairs, finding the insufferable girl lounging about like she didn't have a care in the world. "Granger," he snapped, waiting for her to look at him. She pointedly ignored him though and seemed to be mouthing words to herself as she tapped her foot gently in the air. "Very, very, mature," Draco grumbled, moving around the couch she was on to plop himself down on top of her legs. He was fairly sure she'd never had a boy in her lap before and that it would suffice in getting her attention.

**Hermione's eyes flew open and she looked at Draco in shock. She paused her ipod and pulled the headphones out of her ears. "What the hell are you doing?! You weigh as much as a hippo, get off my legs!" she demanded, feeling like her legs would collapse under the weight in a matter of seconds. Stupid git. **

**She was very clearly pissed off with him so couldn't he just leave her alone? She then voiced that thought aloud to him. "Malfoy, I'm pissed off at the moment. Come back tomorrow."**

"Or how about you learn not to ignore me when I speak to you," he glared, snatching the contraption from her hands before she could stop him. "What /is/ this?" When his hand closed around it music came from the dangly bits, but he'd never seen anything like it before. This was why she hadn't heard him?

Her words finally reached his brain and something clicked. "I AM NOT FAT!" he spat, suddenly all up in arms about it, "at least I'm not the one who /looks/ like a hippo!"

**She glared at him. Did he just call /her/ a hippo? Yes he did! She snatched back the ipod. "This, will explode** **if you ever touch it again," she told him harshly. "And I didn't say you where fat. Muscle weighs more then fat idiot," she snapped as she put the ear phones back in her ears and continued to listen to her music, closing her eyes after a moment. **

**He'd go away eventually right? She let out a breath as she listened to one of her favorite songs...which surprisingly reminded her of Draco. 'It ends tonight' by the All American Rejects. She started to sing some of the words softly as the song went along, **

"**You're finding things that you didn't know. I look at you with such disdain. The walls start breathing. My minds unweaving. Maybe its best you leave me alone. A weight is lifted on this evening, I give the final blow."**

**Maybe singing would get him to go away, she was a pretty good singer…but it would get the point across that she was ignoring him now.**

Draco slid sideways a little with an expression that was something of a pout. He was sensitive about his weight since his mother had always kept him on a strict diet, saying that no son of hers was going to balloon up like a lazy muggle. He loved sweets though. In fact, he had an unholy craving for chocolates that had forced him to stock up on Hogsmeade trips and hide them in his dorm. No one else seemed to have trouble controlling their eating habits, but he figured that they'd never know thanks to his vigorous quidditch training.

Feeling awkward now that he had lost his steam and neither of them were yelling, he considered just getting up and leaving. Why was it that he always felt drawn to the stupid mudblood? Even if it was only the desire to make her miserable or yell at her, it was still a desire all the same. One he couldn't deny anymore then his chocolate fetish. Oh merlin, he had just thought of Hermione and fetishes in the same sentence.

Draco's eyes closed as well, fighting confusion and conflicting emotions in his heart as Hermione suddenly began to sing. He didn't move. He couldn't. He couldn't even breathe. Her soft voice pierced through him, making him feel like he was part of something secret, that she wouldn't normally show to anyone. Why him? Just like she had asked him earlier. Why did they always share parts of each other that no one else saw? He didn't /want/ to share himself with anyone, but it always just seemed to slip out around the know-it-all. An attempt to prove he could be better then her maybe? But he wasn't…

**"Now I'm on my own side. It's better than being on your side. It's my fault when you're blind. It's better that I see it through your eyes. All these thoughts locked inside, now you're the first to know when darkness turns to light."**

**Her eyes snapped open as she stopped singing still feeling the presence of Draco watching her. "Malfoy, what are you doing? And stop looking at me like that. You look like you're about to faint," she said not even realizing that he was a little...okay maybe more then a little startled that she had just sung in front of him. She hadn't even noticed that she did sing out loud actually. According to her she had been singing the song in her mind.**

Draco pried his eyes off of her reluctantly and leaned back against the couch, rather speechless. Maybe he should have just left when he had the chance. Her voice was doing strange things to his insides. "I didn't know you could sing," he said finally, glancing up again as his silky voice drifted softly towards her. Anything louder then a whisper just felt wrong, as if he might shatter the feeling her song had created around them. Of course, he wasn't aware that she thought it had all been in her head. If he had his wits about him he might have even called her a show off.

**"I can't," she said looking at him a little confused. Wait? Did she sing out loud? Crap. She really didn't think she was all that good, she knew that she wasn't extremely bad like some people but not good enough to get that kind of reaction out of Draco. She then noticed that the whole mood around them had changed and she hadn't even realized. Yeah, she was the observant one wasn't she. Ha. What a laugh. Her? Observant? She may as well call herself a duck and start quacking. **

"I beg to differ," he whispered, looking slightly uncomfortable as he rubbed his arm. She could sing and pretty bloody well too. Something about singing had always captivated him, probably because his mother used to sing back before Lucius outright refused to let her sing in the house since it 'bothered' him. Whatever the reason, Hermione had just rendered him completely tongue-tied and speechless. He couldn't have insulted her if he wanted to.

**Narcissa watched the two of them from the staircase, which thankfully from the way that they sat on the couch couldn't see her in return. She gave a small smile. If anyone could bring out the real Draco inside it would be Hermione Granger. She had known that the instant she met the girl, thankful that it had been her and no one else that had walked in on her little secret. **

**Hermione looked at him more confused then she had been previously. Did he just compliment her? The world was coming to an end very soon… Maybe she should go check the sky and see if pigs had started flying yet. As if wanting to confirm that thought Hermione stood up and walked over to the window pulling back the curtain she looked up at the sky with narrowed eyes.**

For Draco, the spell had broken the moment she stood up and walked to the window. He drew a deep, shaky breath and let it out again, feeling strangely like they had just finished shagging or something. Creepy. Was it normal to get that kind of satisfaction from the singing of some stuck up muggle born? Poor Hermione had no idea the kind of effect her voice had had on him and he really didn't want her to find out.

Pushing himself up from the couch, Draco glanced nervously towards the stairs. He could run again. Hide in his room and act like nothing had changed. But something had. Somehow, she'd wormed her way into a place in his mind where it was all right to want her and now she wouldn't get out. There was only one thing he could do.

"Ha, my mistake Granger," he said coldly, "what I meant to say was that I've heard dogs with nicer voices then you. But you'll have to go howl at some other bloke now, if you'll excuse me."

**Hermione bit her bottom lip still looking out the window but now instead watching the rain drip down the glass as she listened to Draco's insult. No wonder she didn't feel very good about herself in anything but book smarts. She had Draco to rip everything else away from her. She held her breath until he walked away as a few tears came out. What was with her lately? She was crying over everything! She was one big emotional mess! How come before she could pretend that his words didn't hurt her, but now she was basically like an open book?**

**Narcissa was standing at the bottom of the stair case hands on his as she glared at her son. " Draco Malfoy, you go back and apologize to her straight away," she said angrily, "you may be mad at me but there's no reason to snap at Hermione. You've made her cry enough today I think."**

"I don't have to apologize to anyone /mother," he growled, "since I'm the only one in this house not hiding secrets!" Brushing past Narcissa who's angry expression had crumpled into one of hurt, Draco stomped up the stairs as loudly as he could and wondered if he had inherited his ability to make every woman in the house cry from his 'father'. Lucius certainly had been good at it...

Maybe he wanted to be stubborn and alone though! Why did everyone have to stick their noses in his business and add their two cents? He just wanted to hate Hermione, finish school, and move far, far away where not a single person knew the name 'Malfoy'. Wouldn't that be glorious...

**Narcissa couldn't help herself as she stormed up the stairs after her son, stopping him she turned him around and slapped him hard across the face. "I may have made a mistake thinking anyone as good as Severus could be your father Draco since you're taking after Lucius more and more every day! I know that you're nothing like him where it really matters, but right now...I've never been more disappointed in you! You're pushing away the only people that love you and love is something you crave most," she told her son as her eyes brimmed with tears. She then moved past him and slipped into her own room to be alone.**

Draco stood there, staring in shock as his mother slapped him and proceeded to tell him just what a horrible human being he was. He hadn't meant to be so spiteful towards her...it had just slipped out. Whenever he felt trapped and nervous he just tended to be a nasty prat. Normally he was more careful what he said to his mother, but he had still been mad at her...

Guilt overwhelmed him as he moved to his mother's door and pushed it open without knocking. She was sitting on her bed again, crying, and it was his fault... He ran forward and tackled her in a hug like he used to do when he was a little boy, feeling hot tears escaping down his own cheeks as he squeezed her tightly. "Mum, I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her like he was afraid she didn't want him anymore, "I love you. I didn't mean it, mum..." He even sounded like the same frightened child that had gone to her arms for comfort after Lucius had taken out anger on him. His mother mattered more to him then any other thing in the entire world and he had just treated her like garbage.

**"Of course you meant it," she sobbed as she hugged him to her tightly. "I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long, but I was so scared Draco," she whispered softly, sounding as if she was still very terrified that Lucius could march in right this second. "I couldn't tell anyone, I was so alone. Don't be mad at Severus. He wanted to tell you. He wanted to take me away from Lucius' anger, but I wouldn't let him. I don't know why, I just wanted you to be happy," she cried softly.**

"I love you mum, please don't cry," he begged, burying his face in her neck, "it isn't your fault that he treated us that way..." He felt like a little kid all over again, safe in his mother's arms while they rode out the storm of Lucius' anger and abuse. Only now they were safe. That bastard wouldn't touch Narcissa ever again. "I am glad that Snape treats you so well," Draco whispered, sniffing as he forced himself to stop crying. His tears probably weren't helping. "I just...I don't know if I can think of him as 'father'." In fact, he'd rather not. The word 'father' had never been a very happy one in their family.

**"I love you as well, Draco," she replied softly as she hugged him to her tighter, never wanting to let go of her only child. She was so proud of him, to have this much of a heart after dealing with Lucius' abuse for seventeen years. Just thinking of that made a fresh wave of tears come out. "I should have been stronger… I should have taken you away from Lucius so you didn't have to deal with his anger then maybe you'd be happier. I hate seeing you angry and upset all the time."**

Draco looked up at her in confusion. He wasn't angry and upset all the time...was he? Thinking back, he realized that the only time he ever felt anything close to happiness was on his broom or in the few disgusting moments of bliss with some random girl where he could pretend life was all right and that he wasn't utterly miserable.

"I'm not angry," Draco shook his head, "I was just...sad...I guess...and I don't really know how to deal with it. No one at school trusted me just because of our last name and...hell, I think Crabbe and Goyle only liked me because they needed someone to tell them how to dress themselves..." A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he nuzzled into his mother, deciding that he wasn't leaving her arms ever again. They could both starve to death, holding each other and trying to ignore the harsh reality that their world was.

**Narcissa was silent for a few moments as she continued to hug her son. "What about Hermione? You know her well enough to know that she doesn't stick around for money or title," she pointed out, leaning back slightly so she could look at his face. "She is the girl you've been following around since your first year of Hogwarts. I got quite a shock when I first saw her and found out who she was...It made me hopeful that even though you had been raised by Lucius you weren't following his ideas." **

"Mother!" he protested in exasperation, pulling out of her arms. Why did she always have to do that?! "I'm telling you now what I've told you about every other bloody girl you've tried to force on me. I'm /not/ interested." Glaring at her lightly, he wished that his mother wasn't so insistent that he settle down with some nice girl and be in love and have a family. It was like she thought by finding him someone to love it would make up somehow for the life they'd had with Lucius.

"Really, I'm fine just the way I am," he sighed, "and Granger is too much of a pain in the arse to ever make any man happy." Draco snickered a little to himself and tried not to remember that he had left her down in the lounge...crying...

**Snape cleared his throat at the doorway. "You may be right about one thing, Draco, she is a pain in the arse. But this pain in the arse has just left the headquarters and I can't locate her. It seems that she's run away," he said before sighing and rubbing his temples. "She's placed a spell over herself so no one can locate her...sometimes I wish she wasn't the smartest witch of her year."**

The arrogant Slytherin jumped at the sound of Snape's voice and felt the blood drain from his face. "She's gone?" Draco gasped, guilt filling him again. She had left because of him, hadn't she... Standing worriedly and looking Snape in eyes, he felt yet another wave of guilt wash over him. He really had been a prat. "I'm sorry professor...for the way I behaved," he said softly, looking back at the floor again. It was awkward to have a person love you when you hadn't ever thought of them with more then a simple respect. Snape must have hated seeing him every day and knowing he couldn't hug him or offer him advice. But then again, the cold man had never struck him as the fatherly type. "But…what do we do?"

**"There is nothing we can do since none of us know her extremely well none of us know where she might head. All we can do is sit and wait for her to come back... Let's hope that she does," Snape replied. "And don't worry Draco," he said, his face softening slightly as he looked over Draco's shoulder to Narcissa. He wished he could take the woman into his arms, but wasn't sure how Draco, or Narcissa, at this point would react. "Please at least call me by my name Draco, not Professor or Snape."**

"But...professor," Draco said slowly, "I...I can't just call you 'Severus'. That's too...grown up or something. To me you /are/ my professor and I feel rude saying otherwise." It was weird enough having Snape ogling his mother all the time, let alone calling him something only his adult friends should be allowed to. And 'father' was definitely out of the question.

He closed his eyes as he thought, feeling Narcissa brush past him as she went to Snape and let him pull her into a gentle hug. He was grateful his eyes were closed though as he heard them kiss and shuddered. Eww. He really didn't want to be in this room right now.

"I might know how to find her," he said suddenly, opening his eyes to find his mother gazing happily up at the potions professor. This was going to take a lot of getting used to...

**Snape gave a nod understanding to what Draco was saying...even if it did upset him slightly. He smiled when Narcissa came to him and held her close, kissing her lips softly. He looked to Draco when he said he might have an idea on how to find her.**

**"Please, do share," Snape said, interested.**

**Hermione was sitting in the rain, two towns over, in front of a grave stone. Her grandparents grave stone to be exact. When they had both been alive she had gone to them for advice and now that they were gone it wasn't any different.**

**"I miss you grandpa, grandma," she said softly as she hugged her knees, shivering slightly because of the cold but not really registering it. "I'm so confused. Malfoy's always been able to hurt me with his words...but lately I can't hide the fact that he can and I cry every time he does... It doesn't make sense. I'm not supposed to cry, I /don't/ cry...I don't like it." **

"Just...let me try," Draco said with a frown, whispering the spell and knowing that his mother and Snape were going to think he'd lost it when he just starting talking to Hermione like she was here. "Granger? Can you hear me?" he asked, trying to keep his voice down since he was already getting weird looks from both adults.

Ha. He must look like an idiot. 'Maybe if I talk out loud she'll come home.' He almost snickered, but the situation was too serious.

**"Piss off Malfoy," Hermione snapped. She said the spell that turned the connection of the locket off as she went back to wallowing in self pity. Really, how dare he interrupt it? How rude. Then again when had he ever been considerate? She let out a sigh and pulled her jacket tighter around herself, wishing she had put warmer clothes on then a flimsy tank top some boxers, that she had pulled a pair of thin track pants over, and a jacket.**

Muttering the spell a little louder since he was annoyed now he tried again. "Don't tell me to piss off! You're the one who's run off and put yourself in danger! Why the hell did you-" He growled as he was cut off again and said the spell again and stood, pacing angrily as if he'd forgotten his mother and professor were still in the room. "Honestly, how mature just cutting off the connection while I'm talking. Grow up, Granger. And get your ass back here." It probably wasn't the best idea to keep insulting her when she was already angry and upset, but he was annoyed that she'd just taken off like that. It was something stupid that normally /he/ would do.

**Hermione growled as he connected again, she took a deep breath and yelled at the top of her lungs. "MALFOY PISS OFF!" she screamed before cutting it off again. "I'm sorry grandma, grandpa...I don't want to disturb you so I'll be going now," she said softly to the grave stone before standing and starting to walk again. "Malfoy, what did I say last time?" she asked as the connection came back. "Piss off! I don't even want to hear your annoying voice at the moment you complete and utter asshole!"**

"Where are you?" he sighed, rubbing his eyes as her loud voice was starting to give him a headache, "you do realize that there a deatheaters out there looking to /kill/ you, right? Either come back or let someone come and get you!" God, she was stubborn.

**Hermione stayed silent as she walked further away from him - not like it made any difference. "Only if you apologize," she then said a lot softer then she had been speaking before. A forced apology is still an apology after all right? She sighed and put her hands in her pockets miserably.**

"Ha! Apologize? Apologize for what?! You being a stuck up, irresponsible frizzhead that doesn't consider the fact that people care about her and just throws herself into dangerous situations?" The things he was saying probably made no sense to the two people standing, watching him in surprise as he appeared to carry on some sort of argument with Hermione. Draco was too caught up in trying to be right to care.

**"Apologize for making feel like shit! For making me feel like the worst person in the world and that I wont amount to anything and no one would ever want to spend their life with me! I do have feelings Malfoy, believe it or not I do have a heart that breaks very easily," she yelled at him as the rain started to come down harder.**

Draco choked on his next words, almost not believing that she was admitting that to him. How could he scream at her when she sounded so crushed? Moving past his mother and Snape, Draco took the stairs two at a time and ran out into the rain, squinting and searching as if she might be nearby. "Hermione...I'll apologize if you tell me where you are," he sighed finally, walking off into the downpour towards the open field.

**Hermione sighed and concentrated on Draco as she pulled out her wand and then apparated. She pocketed her wand as she looked at his back as he tried to see her. Would he really apologize? She tapped his shoulder gently. "I'm behind you," she said softly, with yet another sigh.**

You would've thought Draco was being murdered the way he shouted in surprise and spun to face her. "Bloody hell! You could have warned me!" he snapped, closing his eyes as he held a hand to his heart. The last thing he needed was some deatheater creeping up on him in the rain. It was hard to see much of anything really and the house was just a smudge in the distance. Rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as his eyes opened again, he looked down at his feet. "I'm...sorry...all right?" he muttered, still not meeting her gaze. Why was she so good at making him feel like crap?

**"Yeah whatever," she said, not believing that it was a true heartfelt apology, but it was nice to hear the words just the same. "Thanks," she said before turning and heading back towards the house her shoulders slumped slightly in defeat, a stance that Hermione hadn't been in very many times in her life.**

Draco blinked water out of his eyes as the rain grew even heavier and only paused a moment before going after her. It seemed that he could never stop himself from going after her. Splashing through the soggy grass, Draco finally reached her and caught her arm in a gentle grip, making her stop. "I'm sorry," he said again, in a more firm tone, "I am." Moving around the front of her, he leaned close so he could see her face through the rain. They were both completely soaked and he lifted a hand to brush her dripping bangs from her face. What was wrong with him? He /wanted/ her forgiveness...it made no sense. As much as he liked making her miserable, he wanted her to forgive him for it. He was going mad.

Touching their foreheads together, Draco slid his hand softly down to cup her cheek. "Granger..."

**Hermione gave a small sniffle as she looked up at him as their forehead's touched. How could he go from jerk to caring in a matter of moment? That's what was confusing her at the moment. Not the fact that she cared about him, or anything else along those lines. "Okay, I believe you." she said softly.**

**Was he going to kiss her? He wasn't mad this time...well he didn't look mad, so if he did it wouldn't be a kiss to get rid of his frustration would it? She looked into his eyes as he said her name. It sounded strange... It wasn't like all the other times he had said it. "Yes...?"**

Barely breathing at all, Draco moved his nose against hers very gently, like an eskimo kiss, their lips so close that he would barely have to move at all to kiss her. He didn't know why he was doing this or why she wasn't pushing him away, but his heart was pounding so loudly in his ears that he couldn't think straight anymore. "Y-You're getting wet," he stammered out, suddenly moving his face away from hers and taking a step back. He wiped rain from his own face and looked at her with worry in his eyes. She better not have taken that the wrong way... He didn't want to kiss her...no... Then why had he been about to?

**"Yes...yes I am," she said softly looking down at her feet before sighing and moving past him. "So are you," she stated over her shoulder before walking into the house and peeling her outer layers of clothes of so she wouldn't drag as much water through the house. She then went and sat in front of the fire, drying herself off. Ahh the wonderful fire, it was so warm. Draco was about to kiss her wasn't he? She reached up and touched the end of her nose softly. His nose had touched hers...he was about to kiss her when he wasn't angry...**

Draco watched her leave with a heavy sigh of his own, turning his head upwards to feel the cool rain streaming down his burning cheeks. He was blushing... Stupid Granger, why did she have to go and be all...like that? He knew he wasn't making any sense, but he was just plain confused. He still loathed her with every fiber of his being, but at the same time, he knew he would do anything to make her stop crying and forgive him for being the world's biggest prat. "Why is this happening?!" he shouted at the sky, kicking a puddle as he stalked towards the house. He was wet, cold, unhappy and he hadn't even gotten a kiss out of it.

**Hermione let out a breath and stood up. She had to see if it really did mean anything to him...see how he would react. Running out the back door again, now dressed in a lot less clothes, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, kissing him hard on the mouth. Okay, impulsive. She'd admit that, but what was she feeling towards Draco? Why did she want to be around him when he kept hurting her?**

Draco made a small sound of protest as she practically forced herself onto him, nearly tipping them both over into a huge puddle. He didn't have any choice but to tighten his grip on her to catch his balance, but unfortunately the slippery grass was no help and they splashed over into the puddle, leaving Draco half emerged since he was on the bottom.

He had been so surprised by her reappearance and so shocked at the feeling of Hermione's lips on his that he hadn't done much of anything yet, not even kiss back. But...he hadn't pushed her away either.

**Hermione pulled back terrified of what she had just done as she looked down at Malfoy. If the puddle was any bigger he would be drowning in it. "I'm sorry." she said horrified. "I ... I..." she stuttered a moment before getting up and running away as quickly as she had come. Running inside she went and hid herself in embarrassment not believing she had just done that. It wouldn't have been as bad if he had kissed her back…**

Draco lay in the puddle in stunned silence, staring up into the falling rain with a confused expression. It was like they were on a teeter-totter of emotions where one minute one of them wanted the other and then the next moment they didn't. It would have made life a whole lot bloody easier if they'd stop kissing each other and running away!

Slowly pushing himself up, Draco licked his lip, tasting Hermione there. Oh merlin, this was crazy. Whispering the spell so she would hear him, he stood, watching the front door. "Granger...come back outside."

**"No," Hermione sniffed, "I wont. You'll hurt me again… You'll pretend it's nothing and just walk away as if it didn't matter." She was currently hiding in the cupboard under the stairs. Ironic? Very much so. She thought about it slightly though and opened the door. Walking out softly, she went back to the door, putting her hand on the handle... Maybe she should just go back out?**

"I said COME HERE," he growled, crossing his arms over his chest even though she couldn't see him. Bloody woman. When would she learn to shut up and obey? He knew that Hermione would come though. She had to. She had to know /everything/ and would be curious why he was demanding that she came back out into the rain.

**She jumped slightly letting out a small whimper as he demanded that she go to him and her hand withdrew from the door. Or maybe she shouldn't. Draco was a dangerous person to be involved with and she'd be broken if he did pretend it was nothing once again...for that's what it really might be for him. Nothing.**

"You have five seconds before you're in trouble," he warned, a slightly amused tone to his voice. A smirk appeared on his lips as he started for the back door again. If she wasn't going to come willingly then she'd better hope he didn't catch her.

**Hermione took another step back from the door just looking at it wondering how long it would take him to come looking for her. So that's where she stayed, it was about Draco made a little effort in this warped relationship or lack there off that they had. **

"You do realize that the longer you make me wait, the less I want to kiss you, right?" he snorted, still not hearing any reply from her. Pausing just before the door to the house, Draco bit his lip and wondered why he had just said that. Well...he /did/ want to kiss her... Glaring at the door, he began to count down. "Five...four...three..."

**"Or you could just open the door and do it anyway. I don't see why I have to come to you all the time," she replied softly, for some reason knowing that he was probably on the other side of the door. She wasn't sure why though...female instinct maybe... "It's a lot less wet in here."**

Draco frowned at her words and pulled open the door, finding Hermione on the other side. Frowning at the girl, he grabbed her arm and dragged her back out into the rain, lifting her and dropping her gently into the puddle she had knocked him into. "There, now that we're even..." Draco smirked held out his hand to her, feeling better. He swore there was water in /every/ place possible on his body. Not entirely comfortable, but he didn't dare go in the house with Narcissa and Snape around, spying on them.

**Hermione looked up at him in surprise. "At least I kissed you when I tackled you into the puddle," she frowned at him before giving a small pout as she stayed down on the ground in the puddle still looking up at him. "So I wouldn't exactly call that even." **

He raised an eyebrow at her and moved to kneel down behind her on the soggy ground, sliding his hands beneath her to force Hermione to sit up. Sliding his hands seductively down her slippery arms, Draco's lips found her wet neck and he gently explored, not giving her the satisfaction of a kiss on the lips just yet. This was what he was best at after all. Tormenting her.

**Hermione let out a soft sigh as she felt his hands run down her arms. He had big hands…she had always wanted a man with big hands. Wait, what? Where had /that/ thought come from? **

**Draco Malfoy was not a man. However...the person behind her certainly was no longer a boy. She let out a small growl of frustration at the lack of lips on her own but really she couldn't complain about him kissing her neck either, it felt just as good.**

"Impatient, Granger?" he breathed into her ear, pulling her back a little more so she was resting against his chest. He didn't know why he was doing this but the smart part of him that wanted Hermione was cheering while his mind screamed 'STOP'. Draco was afraid...he was afraid to kiss her. Afraid to give in and admit to himself and to her that he wanted anything more from her then a quick fix. He stopped kissing her neck and let his hands drop to his sides, unsure what to do. Could he trust her enough to let her see a vulnerable side of him?

"H-Hey...can you look at me for a sec?" he whispered, actually sounding a little scared.

**Hermione frowned slightly at how scared he sounded, without answering him and taking the frown of her face she turned around, one of her hands resting on him for support as she looked at him - really looked at him. Her eyes were slightly wide, a part of her still in shock that all of this was happening, but also there was trust there...no matter how much of a prat he was and how often he hurt her, strangely enough she did trust him with her life. Her mouth parted slightly, as if to say something but not really sure what, a little scared by her last thought.**

Touching her face hesitantly, Draco took a deep breath and leaned in, kissing her softly. Bloody hell, he was doing it! A soft whimper escaped his lips as he kissed her, very differently then all their other times. His cheeks had gone scarlet and he closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look into those big beautiful eyes and see her disgust.

Despite everything that had already happened, Draco still had a feeling that she didn't really /want/ him to kiss her. She thought he was a jerk and a player, always bed hopping to his next conquest...why /would/ she like him?

**Hermione smiled slightly as she kissed him back softly. This one was more...caring then the other kisses. She leant back slightly, stopping the kiss as she looked at him. The rain was still drenching them but they weren't paying attention to it. Not that it mattered anyway, they were already soaked. She then placed her two small hands on either side of his face and lent forward kissing the tip of his nose.**

"After you make all that fuss about me giving you a kiss, you go for my nose?" he huffed, rolling his eyes as his confidence returned, "you are a weird one, Granger." Draco didn't leave though as he had before, just sitting shyly with red cheeks and fiddling with the hem of his soggy shirt. Well…this was awkward.

**Hermione gave a small chuckle at his words, feeling a lot happier then she had in days. It was strange though because he hadn't exactly said anything. However the way he was acting…the kiss...it confirmed that something had changed. She stood up and offered him her hand, **

**"Don't want you to catch a cold now do we?"**

**This really /was/ awkward.**

Draco simply pushed himself up without her help and started towards the house, his hands stuffed in his pockets. He had a guilty expression like a little boy who's just stolen from the cookie jar. What if...that had been the wrong thing to do? No one that he knew approved of Granger and no one she was friends with approved of him. They fought all the time and seemed to hate each other so why get her hopes up? Was this just some game? Some way of proving that neither of them would back down from a challenge? Dammit...he was very confused.

**Hermione clenched her hand squeezing her eyes shut as he walked away from her...again... she didn't know how to handle this anymore. So she gave up. She plopped onto the ground and refused to move until Draco did something about it. Nothing was going to change her mind.**

**Nothing.**

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Thanks to everyone still reading and reviewing! Until next chapter!


	15. Tell me the truth!

We had a lot of fun with this chapter, as you'll all see once you hit a certain point. XD Hermione's 'sickness' is explained in the next chapter though so you'll all just have to wait and see what's going on. Thanks for all the reviews and enjoy!

* * *

The blonde Slytherin was nearly to the front door by the time he noticed something was missing. Hermione. Glancing back over his shoulder with a frown, Draco sighed. "What are you doing, Granger?" he yelled over the noise of the rain, "I thought we were going in?" Of course, being a stupid boy, he didn't realize that he'd done something wrong. He was too wrapped up in his own confusion to consider that walking off without a word - again - was rather rude.

**"I decided to stay here," she yelled back, crossing her arms stubbornly. If he walked in that door without her then she wasn't going to try with him anymore. She'd give up. She had done enough. She wasn't even sure why she was trying to get him to admit to liking her. She had admitted her feelings for him to herself ages ago so why was he so scared?**

"Why would you want to stay out here?" he frowned, trudging back over to her and nudging her with his foot, "it's wet and cold and I can see right through your shirt." Smirking at the sudden discovery that he actually hadn't meant to say out loud, Draco's eyes shifted between her face and her chest. Being a gentleman for once, or just trying not to get the crap beat out of him, Draco slipped off his own shirt and leaned down, draping it across her front. "There, now I won't stare anymore."

**Hermione's eyes raked in Draco's appearance. "Well, now I kinda want to stay out here more as long as you're with me," she smirked slightly looking up at him, privately thankful that he had been gentleman enough to give her something to cover her own chest.**

"Why's that? You can't see through my shirt can you?" Draco joked, covering his chest with his hands like he was insulted she was staring. Feeling kind of weird, he looked away from her and bit his lip. He just wanted to stop thinking. The moment he thought about anything to do with Granger, red flags came up and he found a million reasons to run away.

But, strangely, one reason to stay.

**Hermione rolled her eyes and stood up, passing him his shirt back. "All you're going to see is my bra, nothing spectacular," she shrugged, giving him a small smile before walking past him, somehow sensing that he was uncomfortable. Just like she was. **

**The only difference was that she didn't run away as much as he did.**

"It's still boobs," he snickered, catching up to her without putting the shirt back on. There was no way he was getting it back on now that it was wet anyway. "And they looked pretty spectacular to me..." Trailing off, he pulled at the neck of her shirt like he was trying to peek down, feeling that bugging her would relieve the tension between them. "You'll have to let me paint you like this," he said in a 'you don't have a choice' kind of way, "when we get back inside."

**She slapped his hand away without a second thought. "Really, what's interesting about them anyway? They're annoying," she grumbled, looking at him, "you so much as jump a few times and they'll hurt unless you're wearing the proper bra." It was beyond her why people paid millions to get them bigger. **

**"And fine. You paint, I sleep."**

"Interesting I guess," he rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't know..." He was surprised she had said something like that since she had always seemed like such a prude. "I never thought I'd be out in the rain with you, discussing what makes your boobs hurt...," he trailed off, smirking. Was she /trying/ to keep his attention there?

**"I never thought you'd be interested in my boobs," she replied. Realizing that his eyes still rested on her chest, she rolled her eyes as she looked away. She guessed she'd have to get used to him staring intently if he kept painting and drawing her...but did he have to stare at that one spot? They weren't that great anyway… Pansy's were bigger.**

"I haven't been before since you always hide them under all those baggy layers," he snorted, "but I know Potter and Weasel always stared there so I must be missing out on something." Tired of walking so slowly, he put his hand on her backside and pushed gently. "Come on, geez, how tired can you be? That had to be the world's shortest kiss..."

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "I was tired before the kiss you arse," she muttered as he forced her to walk quicker. "And for your information Harry and Ron have seen just as much as you have," she said stubbornly. "The idea of letting them seeing anything else felt weird."**

"A likely story," Draco rolled his eyes, pinching her bum before he let go of it to open the back door. He crept in quietly, not wanting Snape to know they were back yet. That would spoil everything. Grabbing her hand, he pulled Hermione into the downstairs bathroom and turned on the shower, making the water nice and hot. "You're freezing cold, you know that? How long were you out in that rain?"

**Hermione looked at him, her head tilted slightly as she thought about it. "Hmmm, ever since you insulted me and stormed up the stairs so...about three hours. I went to a few towns over to visit my grandparents' grave..." She looked down at the floor, wringing her fingers uncomfortably.**

"Get in the water," Draco demanded, already pushing her towards it. In rain like that she could actually catch more then a cold. She had been wearing barely any clothing and hypothermia happened rather quickly in situations like that. "Is anything numb? Tingly? Are you all right?" He looked her over with a frown, knowing that if she had died out in the rain, she'd be just as dead as if a deatheater got her. Stupid girl. Rather then commenting on the 'grandparent' situation, Draco left the subject alone since it seemed to make Hermione uncomfortable.

**The curly haired witch stood under the water, letting out a content sigh. "My brain?" she replied before giving a small chuckle as she watched him worry over her. It felt nice to have Draco worry about her. Then again the hot water felt nice too. Before she actually thought about what she was doing, she reached out and pulled him in as well. "You have been out in the rain for a long time too."**

Draco wasn't expecting the movement and bumped heads with her, rubbing his forehead with a pained groan. "You could be a little less violent about it, thanks," he pointed out in a snarky tone, "that's not going to help your brain either if it's already hurting." He took a step back from her, not letting on that he was getting a good look at her drenched body now that they were in a brightly lit bathroom.

**Hermione rolled her eyes, studying Draco's face as he studied her body. She didn't even realize that he was taking a good look, she really was oblivious. Though...for some reason, had this been say Ron in the shower with her, even fully clothed, she would be uncomfortable. With Draco...it was different.**

"Here, this must be awfully cold on your skin...," Draco smiled cheekily, starting to lift her shirt over her head. He doubted she'd let him go through with it, but it wasn't like he'd never seen a naked girl before. He was curious to see much he could do before she freaked. After all, he was more interested in her physical body still then anything else... He was a guy. So sue him.

**Hermione pulled her shirt out of his hands. "You're right it is," she said, stepping out of the shower and shutting the glass door which only made her look like a blur on the other side as she took the top and shorts of there before wrapping a big fluffy towel around herself. Ha. So there Malfoy. He wasn't getting a glimpse of her exposed body. He may have seen naked girls - but she had never seen a naked guy, or let a guy see her naked.**

"You're acting like I was trying to see you naked or something," Draco said innocently, grinning to himself. He stood under the hot water with a sigh of relief and struggled with his pants zipper before he finally got it off and kicked the pants to the other side of the tub. The denim was heavy and cold now and his boxers weren't any better. There was no way he was taking those off now though. Nosy Granger might open the shower door again.

**Hermione rolled her eyes. "Sure, Sure Draco, we both know that you want to paint me naked," she chuckled. **

**"Who wants to paint you naked?" asked an amused female voice from the door...which they had left open. **

**"Narcissa," Hermione said, a little more high-pitched then normal. "No one..." she said lamely. **

**Narcissa chuckled. "So you offered to let Draco paint you naked did you?" the woman asked, not having realized that Draco was in the shower...yet.**

Draco glared at his mother through the frosted glass even though he couldn't see them. "I'm not painting anyone naked!" he snapped, annoyed with them both. One kiss and they assumed he wanted Hermione naked that badly? "I have no desire to see /her/ or any other Gryffindor without clothing." Okay, that was a lie. He'd shagged quite a few Gryffindor. But they didn't know that.

**"Oh Draco, you're in there are you?" Narcissa asked surprised, "did you two just have a shower together?" Hermione was looking at Draco's mother trying to figure out why she sounded pleased and smug. Was this world turning upside down? **

**"No! Well…yes, but…argh!" she said walking out the bathroom, leaving behind a still showering Draco and a laughing Narcissa.**

**Hermione stayed in her room for the reminder of the night, not wanting to face any of them as she hid in her bed, eventually falling asleep.**

**However, she woke late the next morning feeling like Draco had beaten her over the head with a broom. She groaned and slowly got out a bed, letting out a loud sneeze as she slowly moved out of her bedroom and towards the bathroom. As she was passing Draco's bedroom she let out an even larger sneeze. Once in the bathroom she moved over to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her eyes and nose where red and puffy, and her skin pale as her tongue darted out her mouth to wet her sore, dry lips.**

"Good morning," Draco chirped happily as he entered the bathroom, stuffed from the delicious breakfast his mother had made. He probably looked a little creepy with the bright smile on his face, but he'd slept fantastically and felt even more fantastic now. Checking over his hair briefly, he fluffed and fixed it a little, not seeming to notice her sorry state. Just as self absorbed as usual.

**"I hate you. You're the worst person on this planet!" she snapped before walking out the bathroom grumpily. How **_**dare **_**he be that happy and that...that...healthy! When she was very obviously dying right beside him. Jerk. Asshole. "Ferret," she muttered aloud as she went back into her room and grabbed her comfortable, warm, fluffy dressing gown, pulling it around herself before going down the stairs.**

Draco looked insulted and made a face at her back as she left. "Who pissed in her cornflakes?" he muttered irritably as the smile faded from his face. She wanted a miserable Draco? She had one. Stupid, stuck-up, minx thinking everyone had to feel the way _she_ wanted them to.

He headed back downstairs to ask her what crawled up her arse and died, when he saw his mother hurrying to her side. "Goodness, Hermione, you don't look well at all," she frowned, going into full 'mother mode' as she touched her hand to the girl's forehead. "Ah! And burning up too. Sweetheart, you should go back up to bed..."

**"Nooo…I don't want to go back to bed," she groaned, covering her mouth as she let out another sneeze and coughed a few times. She gave a small sniffle and let out yet another groan as she plopped onto the couch and covered her head with a pillow. **

**"Life sucks. Why isn't **_**he**_** sick?"**

"Who?" Narcissa frowned, having hurried into the kitchen and returned with a cup of hot lemon tea and a cold cloth for Hermione's forehead.

Draco appeared in the room then, finished listening from the stairs. Hermione may be grumpy, but at least now he knew why. "Aren't you looking lovely today," he snickered, leaning on the edge of the couch with a smirk. Good, she could suffer for snapping at him simply because he'd wished her good morning.

**"Sod off, Draco. I'm not in the mood," she growled at him as she struggled with Narcissa for a few moments, not wanting the pillow to be taken away, but finally Narcissa won and put the wet towel over her forehead. **

**"When you're ready I want you to sit up and drink this tea, it'll help." **

**"No it wont," Hermione groaned. "Just kill me now and get it over with."**

"I'll kill her, mother," Draco offered with an annoyed expression, pulling out his wand and wincing when she smacked the back of his head.

"Draco, go get a blanket and some pepper-up potions from the loo," she ordered, giving her son a look that he knew he couldn't argue with.

"Fine," he huffed, stalking off to do what she asked. Stupid Granger. Now she would probably expect him to be all attentive and wait on her hand and foot. Like that would ever happen.

**Eventually Hermione was laying down on the couch, her feet over Draco's lap. She didn't know if he was annoyed and she didn't care. Narcissa had moved them around until they were sitting like this and forbid him to go anywhere while Hermione was still sick.  
**

**She let out a loud sneeze, her eyes still closed. "Why didn't you get sick?" she asked him, glaring as she opened her eyes to inspect the blond. Hold on just a minute... Was his hair pink? Nah. She had to be imagining it**

"I guess I'm not as weak as you," he snorted, very unimpressed with the current situation. He did feel bad that she was sick and it was pretty much his fault, but he didn't want to act like he cared or anything. "That'll teach you to go running off on your own to pout," he added, shooting her a glare. Well, concerned Draco seemed to be on a coffee break, cause he was being a grumpy arse. If there had been any mirrors in the room though then Draco might have noticed that his hair had in fact turned a lovely shade of hot pink right about the time Hermione had let out her sneeze. "Ick, and don't get any slimy germs on me, Granger."

**Hermione continued to look at Draco in confusion before sitting up slightly taking a closer look at his hair. "I can't be imagining it," she said tilting her head. Just then Narcissa came walking in with a tray of tea and biscuits for them. She dropped the tray on the ground with a gasp. **

**"Draco what did you do to your hair?" she demanded in a horrified tone. His beautiful hair! Hermione let out another sneeze and Draco's hair became brighter. Narcissa's eyes widened in understanding.**

"What? What's wrong with my hair?!" he panicked, shoving Hermione legs off of his lap to run and look in a mirror. A very girlish shriek came from the other room as Draco discovered his new hair colour, clearly horrified and distraught.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he roared, running back into the room and grabbing Hermione by the shoulders, "t-this isn't funny! Fix it!"

"Such a shame dear," Narcissa said sadly, hiding a smile behind her hand, "we'll have to shave it all off and let you start again."

"SHAVE MY HEAD?!" Draco looked as if he was about to faint now, letting go of Hermione and slumping down dramatically to the floor. "My beautiful hair..."

**Hermione looked at him in shock as Draco grabbed her shoulders. She didn't do anything! She let out a small giggle however when Narcissa said that he'd have to shave it. Even if it didn't go back to normal they could dye it back to it's original colour. Or use magic? They **_**were**_** wizards after all.**

**Hermione couldn't help herself though as she let out another loud sneeze, covering her mouth. She looked up to see curiously to see if anything had happened this time and stifled a giggle when she noticed that Narcissa's hair had gone bright pink as well.**

"Mother," Draco squeaked as he looked up again, "your hair..." He looked suspiciously at both women, but he knew that his mother would never do her own hair on purpose and Hermione didn't have a wand on her. What was going on?!

He moaned and laid back on the carpeted floor, acting as if he was dying, rather then his hair just changing to a different colour. "Someone make it stop," he begged, stroking his hair lovingly.

Narcissa looked worried and hurried from the room to check on her own beautiful blonde hair, leaving the two of them alone.

**Hermione had an inkling as to what was going on.. It seemed that people's hair changed every time she** **sneezed. She gave a small shiver and pulled the blanket more tightly around herself before putting her mouth inside the blanket letting out yet another soft fit of sneezes. Once she had gotten over that she peered out at Draco with a grumpy expression. What was with him? It was like one minute he liked her and the next… Well, he was an arse.**

**"Draco...I was wondering...," she mentioned softly, her throat aching as she spoke, "What happened last night? That is...what did it mean?"**

"I don't know, but I can't stop thinking about kissing you," he said without pausing, looking horrified, "and I have no idea why I just said that. Bloody hell? What am I saying? Hermione must think I'm a loony, ah!" He clapped a hand over his mouth with wide eyes and bit down hard on his bottom lip. Draco could feel himself trying to say more as he blocked his mouth, a muffled sound Hermione's only clue at his words.

**Hermione looked at him with wide eyes. Where had all that come from? Suddenly Malfoy was telling the truth? "Draco, who was the most interesting person you slept with?" she asked him, sitting up and looking at him intently, retrieving her wand from the table next to the couch in case he tried to escape. This was bloody fantastic! If he answered this one without thought as well then she'd try some even more fun questions.**

"Well Blaise is the most interesting person I've slept beside cause he doesn't asked to be cuddled or feel the need to make small talk," Draco blurted out. It was actually painful to hold in the answer to whatever she asked him. "Bloody hell, this isn't good," he groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead as he said _that_ out loud as well.

**Hermione was a little frustrated that he took that question the wrong way. Draco Malfoy never ceased to find ways to annoy her. "Okay then, who was the best shag?" she asked him curiously. She really wanted to know to for some reason and as she waited for his answer, her eyes lit up. "And how many people have you shagged?" she added, an almost evil grin appearing on her lips. Oh she was loving this! And for some reason he seemed to have to answer or struggle painfully! Bloody fantastic.**

"I've lost count," he whispered, letting out a pained noise as he bit down on his lip as hard as he could, "and Pansy cause she actually cared about what was going on." Oh merlin, this was terrible. He could already see Hermione coming up with as many evil questions as possible and ready to stop him if he tried to escape. This was a nightmare...it had to be. "Please...this isn't fair, Hermione," he begged, scared of what he might tell her.

**"Okay," she said with a sigh. "I admit, I'm feeling slightly guilty doing this." **_**Not.**_

**"One more question and I'll stop okay?" she asked him, before waiting for his yes or no. The blond nodded slowly, fear evident in his eyes. "What do you think of me?" she asked him, her eyes watching him intently.**

A strangled noise came from Draco as he buried his face in his arms and fought it. The answer came out muffled and when he stopped talking he looked up triumphantly. "Ha! There's your answer," he said smugly, "why didn't I think of doing that sooner? Man, I-" He buried his face again with a groan, wishing his brain knew when to shut up.

**She glared at him slightly and suddenly jumped on him from the couch, wincing as the throbbing in her head increased, but pinning the prat down all the same. Gripping his hands tightly and holding them above the Slytherin's head, Hermione frowned and repeated her question. "Draco Malfoy, what do you think of me?" **

_**Ha! Try and get out of this one, Malfoy.**_

"That you're a stuck up, unfair, beautiful, smart, bloody irritating, and sexy witch who really needs to get laid so you can stop being such a haughty-" He let out a 'mmph' as he held his breath, looking up at her with a helpless expression. He struggled for a bit and when he realized he was trapped, finally let out the breath. Words came tumbling from his mouth and sounded as if she'd missed a bit while he was holding his breath. "-especially in your dress and that Krum fellow had no idea what he was talking about when he said you'd be an easy shag. Plus I just wanted someone to accept me and for some reason you do. God, please slap me right now, I can't stop!" He closed his eyes and forced all thoughts of Hermione and anything else out of his head. "Blank blank blank blank," he murmured as he imagined black nothingness.

**"Slap you? Malfoy if I wasn't sick, I'd kiss you," she told him, climbing off of him and going back to the couch. She let out another sneeze and really didn't want to know what damage this one did, wrapping herself, including her head, inside the blanket. Hiding was so much easier then dealing with pink haired Draco's. A secretive smile appeared on her face as she thought about the things Draco had said. Sure some of them had insulted her, but the complimenting ones far outweighed the insulting ones. **

**Wait... **

**"EASY SHAG?" she yelled, sitting up and feeling her throat protest at the volume of voice she was using.**

"Your precious Vicky said it, not me," Draco groaned, looking exhausted as he lay on the floor still, "and if you hadn't been forcing answers out of me that might have been kind of hot just now." Smirking at his honest words, he tucked his hands behind his head. The truth wasn't so bad if she didn't ask about things he didn't want her to know. "Why don't you ask about the size of my-"

"Draco," Narcissa cut him off as she came back into the room, "what on earth are you doing on the floor?" Kids these days. She was gone for one minute and he sprawled himself all over the dirty floor?

"Hermione pinned me down and made me tell her what I thought of her and I haven't gotten up yet and how come _your_ hair is blonde again?" he frowned, not seeming to even try and stop the words any more.

**Hermione looked to Narcissa and grinned, knowing now what her latest sneeze had done. At least she'd fixed something this time rather then causing more damage. How on earth had her sneezes started casting spells anyhow? Her eyes lit up once more though as a devious idea came to mind. "I was just about to ask him what he thinks of Severus being his father," she told Narcissa, shooting an evil grin at Draco.**

**Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "What **_**do**_** you think of Severus being your father, dear?" she asked Draco curiously. **

**Hermione snickered. She may have said only one more question, but that didn't mean she couldn't get other people to ask them.**

"Confused," Draco said softly, looking annoyed with them both, "and I guess it's okay, but I don't like the fact that you lied to me the time he stayed over and you said it was a parent and teacher conference."

Narcissa flushed and a hand went to her mouth. "Draco!"

"Mother, you were probably shagging him and I don't want to know, please. Spare my poor mind that one thing. And Snape has always watched out for me so as long as I don't have to listen to you two going at it like bunnies then I'll just have to accept it, won't I?" He grinned at his mother's very red face and bit back a laugh. She probably would have murdered him if she weren't so surprised.

**Hermione pulled her blanket up to cover her mouth as well as a small giggle escaped from her mouth. However that small giggle became a large one as Professor Snape walked out from the kitchen with vibrantly pink hair, asking what they were all talking about. She couldn't help it as she burst out in uncontrollable laughter before letting out another large sneeze. Who knew what was going to go wrong now… And why on earth would her sneezes choose pink for hair colour? Honestly...**

"Ha! Hermione's done it to you too," Draco snickered, seeing Snape's hair at the same time that the professor spotted his.

"Draco, your hair!" Snape cringed, "did you...do that on purpose?"

"No, Hermione did it. She had some kind of pink fetish. Probably why most of her knickers are that colour..." Whoops.

**Hermione glared at Draco. "I knew it! Well at least I'm not obsessed with the colour of my house. Honestly, just because you're the sexiest guy in Slytherin and Hogwarts-" Her eyes widened. Whoops... Before she could stop herself, more words spilled past her lips. "And really, what's with all this showing off? We all know you've got a bloody fantastic body so get over it. It's your hands that I like because-" She shoved the blanket into her mouth quickly and moaned in embarrassment.**

Draco stared at Hermione for a moment before he burst out laughing. "What is going on?" Snape asked Narcissa in confusion and she shrugged, looking just as lost as him. As the handsome potions professor moved to wrap his arms around her, a light went on in her eyes.

"Oh, Draco, _what_ pray tell happened to my china that went missing last month?" she asked, her eyes narrowed at her son who immediately stopped laughing and went pale.

"M-Me and Pansy were in the kitchen and I bumped her into the cabinet," Draco whispered, his face so red that he could have passed off as a tomato. Plus it clashed horribly with the pink.

"_WHAT_ were you doing with Pansy in my kitchen when the 'bumping' occurred?" Narcissa demanded heatedly as Snape tried to calm her.

"We were only t...ta...," Draco was trying to get out, but it was clear he was trying to lie by the way his face was all scrunched up in pain, "FINE! We were snogging, all right?! I only shagged her in a bed thank you very much and on the potions-" He slapped a hand over his mouth as Snape's eyes were suddenly on him and he looked as suspicious as Narcissa.

**Hermione burst out laughing as Draco got into trouble. Narcissa's gaze shifted to Hermione and her eyes narrowed. This wasn't exactly fair to pick on solely her son when the strange 'telling the truth' thing seemed to have affected the girl as well. "Hermione dear," she asked sweetly, "what happened to that lovely dress that I sent you last year? I have yet to hear that you've worn it." **

**Hermione paled. "I lost it on purpose because I didn't want to wear a dress that revealed that much," she squeaked before covering her head with the blanket fully and curling up into a little ball. Narcissa pulled away the blanket and held it where Hermione couldn't reclaim it until she answered more questions. "Have you slept with my son?" she asked, sounding worried, curious, and a bit upset all at the same time.**

**"No I haven't," Hermione said, having no problem answering this, but then her mouth kept moving and words kept coming out. "I'm still a virgin, but I wouldn't mind losing it to Dra-" She buried her face in the couch cushions, her cheeks blushing crimson.**

Draco raised his eyebrows at what she had been about to say. Ha, so it was two way street now. Somehow Hermione had been affected too. At least now he didn't have the strong urge to say _everything_ he was thinking.

"You wouldn't mind?" he repeated with a smirk, "what happened to me being a ferret and all those other lovely names you called me, Hermione?" He couldn't seem to get the word 'Granger' or 'mudblood' out at the moment. The only word that came out right was her actual name.

Both Snape and Narcissa looked at her expectantly as they racked their brains for any questions they wanted answered honestly. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to interrogate your children when they couldn't lie to you. Draco could sense this and wondered if there was some way to escape before all their secrets came out and he was put under house arrest for the rest of his life.

**Hermione groaned as she started to answer, the first part being muffled by the couch before Narcissa tugged her back into a sitting position. "-those because you look just as hot when you're hot and bothered," she said, extremely grateful that no one had heard the beginning of what she'd said. Her opinion of Draco was her own business. **

**"Hermione...have you ever helped any one cheat on a exam?" Snape asked cautiously. **

**"What a boring question, of course not. If they can't do it themselves they don't deserve to get good grades," she huffed, looking insulted. Snape rolled his eyes as Narcissa 'hmmed'.**

**"How many times have you kissed Draco?" she asked Hermione, raising a single, delicate eyebrow. **

**"Six times," she blushed, without missing a beat. **

**"Have you seen my son's artwork?" Narcissa asked curiously, wondering what the girl really thought of her son. **

**"I think they're fantastic. I've never felt more beautiful in my life and it's probably the best thing anyone has ever done for me. Even if it wasn't of me, he has an amazing talent." Hermione was now convinced that her face would remain tomato red for the rest of her life. She'd never blushed so much before.**

Draco felt shy now as she answered and sat up, pulling his knees up to his chest and propping his chin on them. "Thank you..." Hearing Hermione flattering him was going straight to his head and the little cocky smirk was back on his lips. Wow. They'd already kissed six times? That's crazy. She had to be lying...wait...she couldn't. What had happened that they were suddenly telling the truth? The tea or something? He wouldn't put it past his mother to slip a little veritaserum into their drinks to get the answers she wanted.

Grinning over at the curly haired witch smugly, he suddenly noticed that the adults' attention was on him once more. "Draco," Narcissa said quietly, "did you plan to try and seduce Hermione into sleeping with you?" She needed to know exactly what her son was up to and how to prevent it.

"Mother!" he squeaked, trying to hold it in, but they all knew that was pointless. "I only wanted to kiss her at first," he mumbled, trying very hard to stop himself, "but it was so good and I knew she wouldn't sleep with me so you don't have to worry about it even though I tried to take her shirt off in the shower toda-" He held his breath again. That seemed to be the only thing that stopped the horrid rambling.

Snape let out a 'hmph' and crossed his arms, looking intently at Draco. "I think I'd like to have a tea with you, Narcissa, in the kitchen," he said gently, sparing Draco any more humiliation as he lead the woman into the kitchen, frowning as she giggled at his hair that he hadn't noticed yet.

**Hermione looked at Draco before standing up and wrapping the blanket around herself. Giving a small sniffle she reached down and grabbed his hand, pulling him to his feet. "Come with me," she pleaded, tugging him out the living room and up the stairs. Draco seemed too curious to protest and simply allowed himself to be dragged until they reached her bedroom. She pulled him inside and pushed him into a chair, shutting the door and locking it. Finally, she sat on her bed and studied the blond.**

**"How about we play a game?" she asked softly, still curled up in the warm blanket. "I'll ask you one question, and then you ask me one. We'll take** **it in turns?"**

"That sounds like a very scary way to end up hating each other," Draco whispered, "or make you want to shag me even more." He smiled at his words and shrugged. "But if you're game then I am too." He studied her carefully as he thought about what questions he would want to ask.

Sliding out of the chair, Draco stole her blanket and laid on the bed, flicking it up into the air so it settled over top of both of them. "There, now it's more like a secret fort like Blaise and I had. Those are better to tell secrets in..." He blushed and closed his eyes, making a mental note to stop saying such stupid things.

**Hermione chuckled slightly. "Okay, nothing leaves the blanket, Draco," she said seriously before chuckling again. This was so stupid...but she loved it. She thought for a minute about her own questions she wanted to ask before making a soft, thoughtful sound. **

**"Okay since it was my idea," she said smugly, "I'll start. With a less personal question, I guess. They'll come later..." She pondered for a few more moments what she would ask him before smiling and looking at him. "To what extent did you go to watch me so you could sketch me?"**

Draco groaned and poked her arm in annoyance. How was that_ not _personal? "I was pretty much a stalker," he sighed, knowing the words would escape whether he wanted them to or not, "at least when I had an assignment because I would be watching for the pose I wanted to paint or draw. When I wasn't doing a big project I would just carry around small bits of parchments and charcoal and if I saw you and the mood struck me I would draw." There, that was off his chest. So he'd been a little bit of a stalker...that wasn't too bad, was it?

**"That's nice," she smiled, surprised at herself for actually liking the idea of being stalked by a sadistic Slytherin. Narrowing her eyes at Draco playfully, Hermione poked his arm. "You never went to the extent when, let's say, I was in the prefects' bathroom or anything did you?" she asked him carefully. He bloody well better not have. "Oh sorry, ask me two questions when you've answered this one," she said. Really, it was his own fault for not speaking up and asking in the first place.**

"I never spied on you when you were naked," he rolled his eyes, hoping to get in a question before she asked him another one. Hmm, what did he want to know about Granger? Brushing his hair back as he thought, he tilted his head against the mattress and watched her. "How come you've never had a proper boyfriend?" Draco asked curiously, poking at her with his foot since she was still sitting up.

**Hermione laid down beside him at the nudge, letting her head rest on a pillow as she put her hands on her stomach. "Because...I had never found anyone I really wanted to keep a relationship with and I was scared because they'd want to sleep with me and I didn't want my first time to be with some insensitive prat that didn't know what he was doing," she replied, blurting out another question before Draco could get in his second one. She was just curious about the blond next to her and figured he'd forget that the questioning had become uneven. "Why do you shag basically every girl that you touch?"**

Draco blushed and glared at her at the same time. "I do _not _shag basically every girl I touch, only the ones that ask for it. And it just feels nice to be wanted, even if I feel a bit gross afterwards sometimes. Hell, I'm the one who's being used so they can say they've been with the 'Slytherin sex god' or whatever you ladies call me. And I wasn't aware that you shared my opinion of Potter and Weasel being insensitive prats." Shifting slightly so their bodies weren't pressed together so much, Draco felt a little scared about what she might ask him next. It seemed that they had jumped right into trying to figure out things that bothered them about each other.

"Why do you always wear such prudish outfits?" he chuckled, "I don't think I've ever seen you in anything but sweaters except for maybe the dance fourth year."

**Hermione thought about his answer before nodding. It made some sense she supposed that girls actually came after Draco for sexual things. Especially with all the rumors... She frowned at his latest question though. "Prudish outfits?" she snorted, "maybe because it's what I feel comfortable in. I'm not confident enough with my body to dress like a slut or a little less prudish, and besides...I'll show my body to the people I want, not for everyone that wants to look at it willy nilly." Raising an eyebrow at Draco, she shook her head slightly.**

**"Why do you care that I always wear prudish outfits?" she asked, smirking.**

That little minx...how dare she turn his question back onto him. "Because your body is too nice to waste it while you're young and sexy and maybe more blokes would _look _at you if you showed a little leg once in a while," Draco said softly, looking extremely embarrassed. "Plus...maybe I want to look..." He trailed off and refused to look at her. "Sorry."

**"It's okay, Draco. I guess I've wanted to spice up my wardrobe, but I just don't have enough fashion sense or confidence to...," she said with a small shrug, not knowing what to ask him yet. She bit the bottom of her lip. "Will you stay with me tonight?" Hermione suddenly blurted out, flushing when the blond gave her a strange look. "Like...not in **_**that**_** way... I just don't like being alone when I'm sick..."**

"Uh...if my mother doesn't murder us both, then sure," Draco said quietly, rolling onto his side so he could look at her. Why would Hermione want him here? Even if she was sick, she could always ask Narcissa to watch over her. Hmm. "Do you...really think I'm the hottest guy in Hogwarts?" he smirked, winking at Hermione in an attempt to make her blush even more. It was cute when she got all shy instead of offended and angry. Well...the anger was just plain sexy, not cute.

**Hermione blushed so much it felt like her face was on fire. "Yes," she said, mortified that she was actually saying it. "Your confidence in your appearance makes it more appealing. Though slightly annoying at times as well," she told him, looking away as her face went redder still. "Do you really think I'm sexy when I'm mad?" she asked him with a small frown, still not believing it. **

Smirking a little more at her answer, he stretched out lazily beside her in all his glory. That was, until he heard her question and paled. Oh well. It was too late to try to steer Hermione towards more innocent questions. "Bloody hell, yes," Draco breathed, not even embarrassed to admit it anymore, "more then when you're not mad. Try looking at yourself in a mirror after I've pissed you off one of these days. Absolutely-" He put his face in the pillow, groaning as his mind got carried away. He had answered the question and that was enough. "Hmm," the blond murmured thoughtfully, seeming oblivious to the fact that the hair he was running his hand through was still a vibrant pink, "what did you want to do when you graduated? Like, have a family? I'm sure you wanted to go to more school..."

**"I want to be a healer," she told him without hesitation. She knew what she wanted to be. If she wasn't a witch then she'd be a doctor. "And I want to find more ways to help people. Nothing's impossible," she said stubbornly, before smiling slightly. "What did you want to do once you've graduated?" she asked him. "I've always pinned you down as wanting to be a professional Quidditch player."**

Looking uncomfortable, Draco bit his lip and shrugged. "I was kind of going to be a death eater...sort of the opposite of yours. But it wasn't what I _wanted _to do. If I had a choice...well...I've never thought about having a choice so I didn't bother choosing." He scratched his left arm where the dark mark would have been and knew Hermione would be disappointed with him. Ugh. This game wasn't so fun anymore.

**Hermione looked at him and leant over slightly kissing his cheek and letting that part of the subject drop. "I think you'd make a good professional Quidditch player. You're a really good player and you love flying so that's always a bonus," she chuckled. The fact that he would have been a death eater didn't bother her because he **_**wasn't **_**one. That was all that mattered. **

**"How old where you the first time you had sex?" she asked curiously, wondering how long ago it had been. She felt embarrassed that she was still a virgin talking to one of the people who had 'gotten around' in Hogwarts.**

"Like fourteen," Draco reddened, his voice betraying how reluctantly he had said that, "and it was an accident. I didn't want to and the girl did and I'm going to shut up now." He trailed a finger along her shoulder and down her arm, frowning at how warm she was. Her skin felt like it was burning him. "Are you feeling all right? And, hey, that doesn't count as my question. And...I don't know if I would do quidditch professionally. I'd have to squeeze into those tight little pants..."

**"I'm feeling fine, only a little warm. My head feels like it's going to explode, but it's okay," she said with a small shrug, giving a small shiver at the light contact. "And trust me, the popularity of Quidditch would double if you flew around in those tight little pants," she smirked at him. **

**"Hurry up and ask a question then if that wasn't it."**

"Um, well I don't know! You just put me on the spot," he huffed, ignoring her little comment about him in tight pants and trying to think of one of the millions of questions he had just had on the tip of his tongue. "How come you don't hate me when I put you through all those years of misery?" Draco asked, still running his finger up and down her arm, "I mean, I was down right nasty at times and you were still able to shrug it off and snap something back at me. You're always too bloody good at rendering me speechless."

**She let out a small chuckle from the question. "I was just acting. I wanted to strangle you so badly even when you just spoke to me...which was most of the time just you insulting me. But I knew that it annoyed and got to you more when it appeared not to bother me. As for hating you, I never have. I've disliked you. Hate's a strong word and I don't like it. The only people I hate are Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange...your auntie if I'm correct."**

"Yes, that's mother's sister," he nodded, making a face, "she never liked me. Said I was 'too soft' for the family business. Mother never stopped defending me though. I think she's rather relieved that I didn't turn out liking blokes since I was always so concerned with my appearance and other...girly things." Blushing, he sighed and knew that by the end of this, he was going to have a permanently red face.

"Hermione...," Draco frowned, stopping his hand movement as he gazed down at her, "are you in love with me?" The question was completely unfair and it was probably going to lead to horrible questioning for himself, but he really needed to know. How hooked was she?

**Hermione turned her head slightly, looking at him. So much for not jumping into personal things. "No…I love you but I'm not **_**in **_**love with you...if that makes any sense at all," she said with a sigh. "Close, very close," she added, hoping that made more sense as her face went bright red. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, she'd probably scare him off now...**

"You aren't serious are you?" Draco choked, since he'd been expecting a 'gross no, I could never love you Malfoy' sort of answer. Despite the kisses and fact that she wouldn't mind shagging him apparently, he still didn't think she was anywhere close to love. His eyes widened as he looked at her and he suddenly felt like running away. No more questions! Yanking at the blankets frantically, it was obvious what he was trying to do. Get away. Before she could ask him.

**Hermione's eyes widened before she growled and basically jump-tackled him back to the bed, the blanket tangled up with them. "You are not running away again, Malfoy," she said, angry at the idea that the blond tried to ditch her again. "Let's start small then shall we?" she asked, using her own body to keep him pinned down like she had in the living room. She could be strong when she chose to be, even when she wasn't feeling well. "If you move an inch I'll sneeze on you so you'll get sick too." **

**She looked down into his eyes and took a deep breath. "Do you hate me?"**

Groaning as he struggled against her grip, Draco wondered when she'd become so strong. He just needed her to let her guard down and then he could leap from the bed and make a run for it. Eww, and to be sneezed on? "Please don't sneeze on me," he begged, "and I...I don't hate you. I don't even loathe you. I haven't since before you even punched me in the face. But I was a prat so you wouldn't try and talk to me." Fat lot of good that did.

**"I wont sneeze as long as you don't move," she replied, feeling one coming on, she'd hold it for as long as she could. She studied him for a few moments as he said that he hadn't hated her since before third year. Drawing in a calming breath, Hermione shifted nervously and wondered if she even wanted to know the answer to her next question.**

**"Are you in love with me?"**

Draco looked relieved when she said she wouldn't sneeze and then horrified when she actually asked him the question he had been dreading. How could Hermione ask that of him? Sure, he'd asked her, but that was different. She loved lots of people. Feeling the answer he knew was the truth trying to escape from his lips, he quickly began to hold his breath, not wanting to say it. Pretty much no matter what he said, she was going to be either disgusted or hurt, so it was a lose/lose situation. He felt it growing harder not to breathe and his chest hurt something fierce, trying to force it out of him. He was probably going a little blue in the face by now.

**Hermione glared at him, pressing on his cheeks to make his air escape that he was trying so desperately to hold in. "Draco Malfoy, are you in love with me?" she asked again, more demanding this time since she wanted the answer. Good or bad, but hopefully good. What was a good answer? Ugh. She was thankful that she had said she was **_**close **_**to being in love with him...and not **_**in**_** love because she had a feeling by the way he was struggling to free himself that she may not like the answer.**

Desperately gasping for air, Draco yanked Hermione down towards him by her shirtfront and kissed her. The answer was mumbled into their kiss as he relaxed beneath her. Ah, Granger was going to be pissed, but he still hadn't given in. Feeling relieved that he'd dodged the bullet again, Draco hoped she was distracted enough by the kissing not to ask a third time. Eww! He'd just kissed a sick person!

**"Draco!" she exclaimed, pulling back and wiping at her mouth as her eyes glazed over slightly with tears, "answer me dammit!" Her voice was almost desperate now. "I don't care at this point if I won't like the answer. Just stop trying to hide it! Are you in love with me or not?" She was angry, nervous, sick, and generally annoyed with the stupid prat, but she just had to know...**

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Mwahahaha. His answer shall be revealed in chapter sixteen! :grins evilly: And since Nat has lots of role play replies to do, we shall cut these author's notes short. Ta ta 'til next time!


	16. Witch's Flu

Here is chapter sixteen for everyone with the awaited answer from Draco! XD Thank you, everyone who reviewed, and we hope you enjoy the latest chapter!

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Last Chapter: Desperately gasping for air, Draco yanked Hermione down towards him by her shirtfront and kissed her. The answer was mumbled into their kiss as he relaxed beneath her. Ah, Granger was going to be pissed, but he still hadn't given in. Feeling relieved that he'd dodged the bullet again, Draco hoped she was distracted enough by the kissing not to ask a third time. Eww! He'd just kissed a sick person!  
**  
"Draco!" she exclaimed, pulling back and wiping at her mouth as her eyes glazed over slightly with tears, "answer me dammit!" Her voice was almost desperate now. "I don't care at this point if I won't like the answer. Just stop trying to hide it! Are you in love with me or not?" She was angry, nervous, sick, and generally annoyed with the stupid prat, but she just had to know...**

"Yes," he whispered meekly, "yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Are you bloody happy now?!" Burying his face sideways in the pillow, he felt his heart pounding so wildly that it was like it was trying to escape as well... If only she'd just let him go then he wouldn't be facing this mess. "Can I run away now?" the blonde whispered, all his courage gone.

**"Yes, I'm happy now," she said softly, surprised that his answer was something postive. "And no, you can't run away," she stated as she leaned down, hugging him tightly and letting her head rest on the pillow beside him. "I don't know why it was so hard just to say that."**

"Because you don't love me," he spat, feeling disgusted with himself, "and because it's wrong and because people won't accept it and because I don't _want _to!" Draco closed his eyes so he wouldn't have to look at her. He knew that she would be upset or at least angry with him and probably call him a bunch of names before she cried or threw him out. He was being honest though. And it wasn't fair...what do you do when your heart falls in love before your mind?

**Hermione rolled her eyes and sat up slightly, looking at him. "Of course I don't love you **_**yet **_**Draco, I'm **_**falling**_** in love you with you. It's pretty much the same thing and you over think things too bloody much, you know that?" A soft sigh escaped her lips as she went on. "Why is it wrong? Do you think it's disgusting that you love a mudblood?" She spat the last word, still basically sitting on him so he couldn't run away. "How can you not want to be with someone if you love them?"**

**Her fierce gaze narrowed as she ranted on without giving him a chance to answer. "And who wont accept it? The death eaters? the Slytherins? My so called 'friends'? Draco, believe it or not you're really the only person I have now from Hogwarts that doesn't hate me."**

"It's wrong because you need someone who isn't me," Draco said softly, wincing as she called herself a mudblood, "and it's not you, none of it is you. You've always been better then me and you know it. You can do so much better..." He didn't want her stuck with some death eater reject for the rest of her life, when he didn't even think he could make her happy. It was just easier to not bother with it and let Hermione find some handsome man to make her happy when she graduated.

"And everyone. Everyone won't accept it. I think my mother is the only one who seems to have the idea of 'us' in her head and it's only because she wants me to stop being a grumpy arse all the time when Pansy annoys me." He frowned slightly, realizing the only thing she'd even said she liked about him was his looks. "Bloody hell, Hermione, what do you even like about me? Other then the fact that I'm apparently 'hot' to you."

**"I don't care about everyone! Don't I get a say in this? Don't I get to say who I want to love?" she asked him. "That's the oldest bloody excuse in the book, you do know that right? 'It's not you it's me'." She rolled her eyes, which hurt slightly since they where still red and puffy from her cold, just like her nose. **

**"What do I like about you?" she said letting out a dry laugh. "Where do I start? I like your laugh, no matter how rarely it comes out, your smile which is just as rare... The way your eyes light up when you're truly happy about something, the way you make every bloody little thing a challenge and can get me mad in an instant but distract me a moment later like I wasn't even mad. The way you actually do feel sorry after getting me mad but you keep doing it anyway because it's what you're best at. The way you held me while we were on the broom. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to go up again, even though I was high up and terrified...I felt safe. I knew you wouldn't let me fall, from the broom or anything else," she stated softly. "Do you need more? Because that's only the start, Draco."**

"You're mad," he stared, the words slipping out by accident, "completely and utterly mad." How could she _like _all that stuff about him? He was an arse and a prat and he knew it. Probably ninety percent of the girls he'd been with only were interested in his looks and he couldn't accept that Hermione saw something more to him.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get let you flatter me into ruining your life. Do you have any idea how terrible of a boyfriend I am? What a crap husband I'd make, or a father?" He shook his head lightly, wishing she'd see that he wasn't worth the time of day. There had to be loads of handsome, intelligent guys out there, all just waiting for Hermione. So why did she want the one screwed up jerk that couldn't admit to himself that he might want something more then sex from a girl for once?

**"It's my life to ruin Draco," she said pushing down on his shoulders as her hands rested on them. "Why can't I...no...why can't **_**we**_** try?" she asked him. "Nothing's worse than wondering what could have been. I'd rather try and be proved wrong then to not try and be missing something fantastic."**

**Hair fell into her eyes as she leaned down a little closer to the lightly struggling blond. "You may be a complete and utter asshole, but usually it's only when you're trapped or scared," she observed softly. "And besides, I'd be extremely bored with the perfect man. A relationship with no fights just doesn't work out. I like our fights."**

"Try _what _exactly?" he asked in a somewhat icy tone, "what is this 'try' you keep blabbering on about?" Now she was just being pushy, as usual. She thought she controlled every aspect of everything and never stopped to consider that someone might have a different opinion then her. No, of course they didn't. She was _always _right, right? "If I'm not the perfect man then I guess we're in agreement," he sneered, trying to push her off now, "go find Mr. Perfect and leave me be."

Although she was very light and he could normally lift her without a second thought, for some reason he couldn't make Hermione budge. He sighed finally, glaring up at her. "Granger, get off!"

**"NO!" she shouted, "I just...I want to try **_**anything **_**Draco. I'm sick of being alone and it's you that I want. Why can't you get that through your thick skull? Oh wait...no, I'm sorry. Are you scared? Shall I just let you run away from me then like you do everything else in your life? Grow a back bone and be a man, Malfoy. Face what's in front of you instead of hiding all the bloody time!"**

"SCREW YOU, YOU STUCK UP PRETENTIOUS LITTLE MUDBLOOD!" he shouted, frustrated that he was trapped beneath her. He wasn't running! He just didn't want to discuss this right now. "I don't run, you stupid girl. I leave when I know that discussing things further will have a result that I don't want.

He wasn't a man anyway and he wouldn't be until his next birthday technically so she could either deal with having a 'boy' around or piss off and find someone else to force feed love to. "Just let me go...," he growled quietly, glaring up into her eyes. That was a mistake. "Dammit, Hermione, do you have to be mad? Now? Quit it."

**"Well, really, I'm sorry that this whole situation has gotten me upset and thus mad," she snapeed as a few stray tears slid down her cheek and splashed lightly onto the front of Draco's chest. She shook her head lightly. "I'm sorry if it takes a toll on me that you've said that you love me but wont act upon it... That you don't want anything to do with me. I'm sorry that I'm not good enough for you," she said her voice getting softer as she kept speaking. "I'm sorry that I'm a pretentious little **_**mudblood**_**." Climbing off of him quietly, she took the blanket and walked out of her own room. **

**Not storming. She was too mad to storm. This was silent anger.**

"Stop that!" he demanded, moving after her and grabbing her roughly by the arm. She wasn't going anywhere until he said so. And since when did he say that it was _her _that wasn't good enough? Bloody hell, she was putting words in his mouth again. This was so frustrating and it should have been such an easy thing. Two people loved each other and lived happily ever after... But that never happened anymore.

Hermione gave a small whimper as he roughly pulled her arm. Not because she was scared -never that- but because it did actually hurt. "Stop what jerk?" she snapped as she spun and glared at him harshly. Prick! High-strung, over sensitive, high maintenance prick! Honestly, how _dare _he tell her that he loves her and then tell her to go find some other man.

"Walking away from me," he said softly, his grip loosening as he sighed and looked past her at the wall. He didn't think he could look at her hurt expression right now. "Didn't you know that it's at the point where I lash out and hurt you that I need you to hold on the tightest?" Draco whispered, sliding his arms around her in a tight hug. He was still fighting the idea of being with Hermione in his mind, but he didn't want to hurt her. He always hurt her... He felt cornered and reacted like a spoiled brat, even though he really did believe that she needed someone else. Someone who was consistent in loving her and made her feel better about herself, not an insulting bastard who called her names when he was in a bad mood.

**Hermione let out a soft sigh as she slipped her arms around his middle, hugging him back as she let her forehead rest against his chest. "I know," she started softly, "but I can only hold on for so long before I run away as well." Her eyes raised to his face once more and she bit her lip. "But I really don't want someone else...," she informed him. Everyone knew once Hermione Granger made up her mind, nothing would ever change it.**

"So I'm stuck with you?" he asked lightly, not in a cruel way like they'd been talking only moments ago, "whether I want to be or not?" Hermione always did have a way of forcing 'what was best' for people onto them. But even if she was what was best for him, that didn't mean he was any good for her. "You know you could be throwing away a chance at real happiness," he warned. Dating him wasn't much of a walk in the park. Pansy had said it was exasperating at best. But then, he'd never opened up much to her.

**"Whether you want to be or not," she said with a nod, confirming it. "I'm like a leech, I swear. I wont let go." A small smirk tugged at the side of her lips, but she struggled to keep it off for a few moments before failing. "I'm willing to give it a try. You never know...I could be finding real happiness," she whispered stubbornly, her eyes meeting his with a challenging look.**

"It's hard to deny you anything when you like at me like I'd get beaten if I don't say yes," he noted, unable to keep his own smile from appearing. Their relationship was certainly a strange one. They went from loathing to lovey in a matter of seconds and vice versa. If she stuck around longer then a single shag like her schoolmates then it would certainly never get boring. "So...truce then? Friends? What say you?" Draco asked slowly, knowing that no matter what he decided, Hermione would have the final say anyway. Or at least, she'd _think _that she did and that's how she'd stay happy. Bossy, stuck up and happy as a clam. At that thought, he had to kiss her, sickness and all.

**Hermione smiled and kissed him back for a few moments before she pushed gently at his shoulders. "Truce," she agreed, her cheeks slightly rosy. Hermione's eyes widened a moment later and she let out a soft sneeze, this one much more graceful then her previous sneezes. She looked up once more and chuckled. "your hair is blond again," she smiled, reaching up and running her fingers through it gently before pulling her hand back.**

**Her nose tickled for a moment before she had to sneeze again, another chuckle escaping her as she heard Severus yelling from the kitchen. "I wonder what I did to him?"**

"Let's go find out," Draco smirked evilly, letting go of her to creep down the stairs. He could hear his mother laughing uncontrollably in the kitchen while Snape insisted it was no laughing matter. The now blond again boy made it down the stairs and peered around the corner of the doorframe, snickering and feeling a little grossed out at the same time as he found Snape wearing nothing but Narcissa's jumper around his naughty places.

"I HEAR YOU LAUGHING OVER THERE! SHOW YOURSELF!" Snape roared, clearly not impressed with the disappearance of his clothes. His mother seemed to be having quite the opposite reaction, letting her eyes move over Severus' body as she blushed prettily and giggled.

"Mother, gross," Draco cringed, stepping out where they could see him.

**Hermione walked out behind Draco, watching them both and giggling slightly. "Sorry Professor," she grinned, "that would be my fault. I can assure you that it wasn't you I was aiming to be naked." She smirked slightly before feeling another sneeze coming on. She held it in for as long as possible before another soft 'achoo' escaped her lips.**

**And then Draco...**

**Hermione blushed considerably and turned instantly, looking away and closing her eyes. Merlin, no. Oh, this was just great. She was so glad she hadn't seen anything though.**

Draco cried out as his own clothing disappeared and did the first thing that came to mind, grabbing Hermione and yanking her in front of him like a shield. As long as she faced away and stayed in front of him then no one would see his naked arse...or his naked anything else for that matter.

"You _meant_ this to happen?!" Draco demanded, giving her a slight shake, "why the bloody hell were you making me naked, Hermione?" Narcissa would have laughed if it weren't for the girls words. What were they up to that Hermione would need her son's clothes off?

**"It was a **_**joke**_**, Draco! I don't want to see you naked! Merlin!" she groaned. She couldn't believe that he was using her for a shield. If her face got any more red, she'd permanently look like a tomato. Her nose tickled slightly and her eyes widened as she sprinted out the room leaving Draco exposed as a loud sneeze followed her retreat and Hermione's leg suddenly went bare before vanishing around the corner. **

**She had just sneezed herself naked... Seemed it was going around. Narcissa had better watch out for the next sneeze. **

**Mortified, Hermione ran to her room and pulled on large amounts of clothes. A pair of knickers, shorts, pants, two shirts, a jacket, and then wrapped herself in a blanket and sat on her bed refusing to move an inch.**

Narcissa chuckled and tossed Draco a dishtowel from the counter, raising an eyebrow at him. "If you have any intentions of doing something un-pure to Hermione in this house...," she trailed off warningly.

"I could go and sit upstairs with them," Snape suggested, not looking like he trusted Draco alone with Hermione even a little.

"No...No you're staying down here with me," the blonde woman smirked, sliding a hand under the material of her borrowed shirt to feel his exposed arse.

"Narcissa!" he jumped, trying to escape her exploring hands and prevent Draco from being scarred for life.

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'm going to go to my room and die now," Draco groaned in disgust, wishing he could gouge out his eyes. He dashed from the kitchen with the little towel around his waist and made it to his room all right, flopping down on the bed with a sigh. He lay face down, naked, and found that now that he was on his soft mattress, he was kind of sleepy. He kept going over and over the conversation with Hermione in his head, but he was rapidly running out of excuses to not be with her. 'Maybe I should just accept that she's not letting me go,' he thought with a sigh, dozing off a few moments later.

**After a few hours of tossing and turning, Hermione got up off of her bed feeling upset. She wrapped the blanket around herself tightly and moved to her door, opening it softly as she walked out and went down the hallway to Draco's room. Slipping inside, she turned and nearly yelled out when she saw Draco's pale arse shining in the moonlight. Damn that stupid boy! Why was he still naked?! **

**She pulled the blanket off of her and quickly put it over him before shaking his shoulder to try and wake him. "Draco...Draco..."**

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, seeming to fall back asleep after saying that. Once Draco was asleep he didn't appreciate being forced up again. It was the middle of the night anyway and she wasn't going to have much luck with any wake up calls. Hermione could either crawl into bed with his sexy naked arse, or just go back to her own room and be alone. The blonde was fairly innocent when he was asleep, looking more like an angel then a nasty, self-serving jerk. He did have slightly wandering hands in the dark, but if she was sleeping, who would know?

**She looked at him a little unsure since, well, he was naked under the blanket she just put on him. She sighed slightly and yanked his blanket out from under him making sure that her's was covering **_**everything **_**of his first. She couldn't believe she was going to do this, but she hated being alone when she was sick. She wasn't sure why but she always had horrid nightmares when she was. **

**So, laying ontop of her blanket which was covering him, she then covered herself with his blanket so she wouldn't be cold. The curly haired witch moved to her side, looking at his face as he slept. He looked much better with no smirk on his face, all sweet and adorable... With her eyes on his handsome face, she eventually drifted off.**

The next morning and a lot of shifting and squirming in his sleep later, Draco woke slowly, surprised to find that he was cuddled into a warm body. "Hermione?" he asked in confusion, his mind still groggy from sleep. They were buried under two layers of blankets and her curly hair was a big bushy mess, spilling over his chest where her face was snuggled in. When had _she_ gotten here? And why was he still naked?

Biting his lip, the blonde tried to ease out of her grip carefully. If she woke up then she was going to find herself in his naked arms, his usual morning problem between them. Shit. What was she doing in his room?!

**Hermione let out a small groan and held onto him tighter, refusing to let him go anywhere as she protested in her sleep. It was lucky she was still asleep, for if she had woken to find the situation she was in she probably would have ran out the room in horrid embarrassment. In her defense, it wasn't her fault that she was now cuddled to his completely naked body, since she had separated them with their blankets.**

Now fully awake, Draco swore quietly and tried desperately to pry her arms from around his neck, but she really wasn't letting go. What was he supposed to do? If she woke up...well...it was better not to think about that. Needless to say he wouldn't be _alive_ to worry about it if she did wake up. Trying a different approach, he tried to slip his head through the space between her arms, but he didn't fit. "Drat!" he whispered, slumping against the mattress for a moment as he studied her attractive face. Giving up, Draco leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Hermione's lips, figuring as long as he was naked and she was here then he might as well do something before he died.

**Hermione mumbled into the kiss softly before letting go of Draco, still very much asleep, as she stole all the blankets and left him exposed to the harsh coolness of the morning air. Now Draco had the escape that he was looking for and Hermione wouldn't be completely mortified and humiliated at the shock of his 'morning problem'**

After a soft sigh of relief, Draco dove off of the bed and scrambled for his suitcase, yanking on a pair of boxers and a loose pair of pants. There, he was mostly safe, as long as she didn't look there... Glaring at the sleeping girl who had pretty much glued herself to him in the middle of the night, Draco moved back to the bed and shook Hermione lightly. "Hey, lazy arse, time to get out of my bed," he muttered. How was he supposed to act now? Different? He didn't feel different. Well, other then the nervousness and fear that she'd wake up and forget everything they'd talked about.

**Hermione stirred softly and eventually came around as he shook her again, her eyes blinking open in confusion. As she focused on the blond in front of her, she let out a soft shriek and hid herself deeper inside the blankets. Her wide brown eyes took in the room around her as she reluctantly glanced up at Draco again, ignoring his bare chest the best she could. "Why...am I in your bed?" she finally squeaked. Without waiting for an answer, she tumbled off the bed with the blankets around her and made a very ungraceful exit.**

"The hell if I know," Draco muttered, watching her run away with a sigh, "you dragged yourself in here somehow..." Now that Hermione had left, he felt safe enough to get properly dressed. Taking off the loose pants, he traded them for a pair of muggle jeans that he'd stolen from Blaise a while back. They were good for hiding...morning problems. Pulling a red t-shirt over his head, Draco wondered who had put the casual clothes in there, since he certainly hadn't. Narcissa was probably just shoving things in that she'd found laying around their home when she'd had to leave in a hurry.

After brushing his teeth and hair with a weird feeling in his stomach, he quietly headed down to breakfast, a little disgusted to find that Snape was cuddling with his mother, sipping coffee in a terrycloth robe. She was still in her nightgown. Wow, way to try and hide their sexcapades from the kids.

**Hermione came down stairs half an hour or so later, wringing her hands uncomfortably as she walked past Draco without a second glance. Her eyes fell to Narcissa as she stood in front of the cuddling couple. "Can I talk to you please, Cissa?" she asked the woman softly. Basically right now Hermione looked completely vulnerable, like she wasn't sure what to do or what she was supposed to say. **

**Narcissa looked at Hermione worriedly and nodded as she stood up and put an arm around her shoulder, walking her out the room so they could talk privately.**

Draco shot Snape a questioning look as Hermione stole his mother to go into the other room to see if he had any idea what was going on, but his professor simply shrugged. "Have an enjoyable evening _Severus_?" he smirked quietly, helping himself to a cup of tea and a scone from the plate on the table.

Snape's face went red as he took a large bite of scone to avoid answering Draco's question. "I'll take that as a yes," the blonde smirked knowingly, shuddering at the same time. It _was_ his mother they were talking about after all.

**That very mother came storming in a few moments later, grabbing Draco by his ear pulling him up onto his feet. "Draco Malfoy, what did you do to Hermione?" she demanded of her son. "I'm trying to get an explanation out of her but all she's doing is crying and shaking her head. Explain!" She looked extremely angry as though she thought that her son may have taken advantage of the poor girl. **

**She didn't want to think that of course, but she knew her son all too well...**

"Ow! Mum, you're hurting me!" he yelped, dropping his scone as he tugged on her arm, "I didn't do anything to her! She's the one that bloody crawled into my bed in the middle of the night!" He was angry and insulted that his own mother really thought he would do what she was implying, to Hermione. "How the hell should I know what she's upset about?" He glared at the blonde woman as if daring her to accuse him again.

**Narcissa gave a very stiff nod before pulling Draco by the arm this time into the next room and shoving him towards Hermione. "Whatever it is, fix it," she told him in a cold tone before turning and walking back into the kitchen shutting the door behind herself. She slipped back into her seat beside her favourite professor and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the man's hand rest softly on her lower back. "What am I going to do with those two?" **

**Hermione looked up at Draco as he watched her in confusion, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I can't remember," she told him, her voice more than a little choked. **

**"I can't remember yesterday."**

"What do you mean you can't remember?" he snorted, wondering what kind of game she was playing. Maybe she regretted what they talked about and this was her twisted way of saying 'I take it all back'. That wouldn't be surprising. Frowning at Hermione, Draco sat on the couch with a sigh. His stomach was growling and hungry and his scone and tea were still back in the kitchen. This had better be good.

**"I mean exactly what I said," she snapped, pulling out a small, brown leather covered book. "This is my journal. I write in it every night before I go to sleep," she told him as she gave a small sniffle. "Usually I write everything that happened through the day or if something special happened in that day, I just write that... I don't remember writing my last entry and well... I'm pretty sure that I would remember something like this." She opened it to the last page written on and showed him what it said. **

**Three words. **

_**'He loves me.'**_

Draco felt himself stiffen as she showed him the entry, his cheeks reddening slightly. "Uh, who's 'he'?" Draco asked curiously, acting as though he had no idea. Maybe if he played it cool then he'd see what she was really up to. This was a test...or a trick...or something. He was just nervous that she was messing with his heart. That didn't really strike him as something that Hermione would do though.

"Are you sure you don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Draco asked carefully, making sure he didn't sound too terribly interested.

**"Nothing," she shook her head miserably, "I remember going to sleep in my bed after all that time in the rain and then I woke up in your bed. I don't remember anything in between that. I swear." She looked at him desperately, as though she was begging him to admit something. "And there's only one person I'd put in my journal if he told me that he loves me."**

"Harry?" he said dumbly, although he knew that wasn't the answer she meant. Okay, so she was being genuine, but did she really expect him to confess _twice_? The first time had been horrible enough. Maybe now she would just go her own way and not throw her life away on him. "I have no idea why you wrote that, Granger," he lied, "but maybe you got a letter or talked to someone or something. I was too busy avoiding you like the plague since you were sick."

Obviously he didn't still have to tell the truth, otherwise he wouldn't be lying through his teeth. Sure, he felt a little guilty, but this had to be a sign. If something had made her forget their entire day together then he wasn't meant to have that day.

**Snape come out of the kitchen, interrupting their little talk as he looked at Hermione closely. Her cheeks were still a bit flushed and her eyes were glassy. That confirmed it. "You don't have a normal cold, Hermione. It's the Witch's flu... Just calm down and relax for now. You'll remember everything either by the end of today or tomorrow sometime." He got a strange look on his face for a few moments as he contemplated comforting the girl, but finally just walked away back into the kitchen with his lover.**

**Hermione let out a small sigh of relief hearing that her memory would come back soon. At least she would figure out what was going on by the next day. She glared at Draco slightly, knowing he was hiding something before snapping the journal shut and laying down on the couch. That prat. Why wouldn't he just tell her now? She rolled over, putting her back to him with a huff.**

"You can huff at me all you want," Draco rolled his eyes, "what were you expecting me to say? That _I_ was the one who professed undying love for you? Do you really want me _that_ badly?" Smirking, he leaned over her grumpy form and gave her a kiss on the cheek before sauntering off to the kitchen in a cocky manner. He knew she wanted him, she had said so. It was a nice ego boost to see her so torn up about everything as well, even if it was mean to think so.

"Eww, stop making me lose my appetite," Draco complained, grabbing another warm scone and nibbling on it as Snape and Narcissa broke apart from their kiss, "I said that I was okay with Snape being my dad, not you shagging my mother, professor. Especially when I have to watch you two kissing at the breakfast table like a couple of horny teenagers." Ha, that probably wasn't going to go over to well with his mother.

**Narcissa looked at her son with dangerously calm eyes. "Well son, how did you expect you came around in the first place?" she asked quietly, "it certainly wasn't from making moony eyes at each other. There was rather a lot of shagging involved." Her blunt words all came spilling out without any warning and Severus gave a small chuckle at the horrified look on Draco's face. **

**Poor Lad.**

"Mother!" Draco groaned, covering his face in horror as he tried to block out the mental images, "wait...you were _trying_ to get pregnant?" Just the way she had said it implied that they hadn't exactly been 'safe' during their sex. Why would Snape want her pregnant if she was marrying some other bloke? Hmm...he was probably just reading too much into things.

"Still...how would you both feel if I dragged Hermione in here and started snogging to my heart's content? Or any other female for that matter?" Crap, he'd used her first name _and_ acted like he wanted to kiss her. Narcissa was going to know that something had happened...or at least given him a slight change of heart.

**No one answered Draco about his question of trying to get pregnant...because he was right. Narcissa had wanted Snape's child, not Lucius', so after Draco had been born she had casted a spell over herself so that she would bare no children from that monster of a man, Lucius. **

**Hermione walked in completely oblivious to what had just been said as she sat at the table and picked up one of the scones. She still sulking as Narcissa's eyes darted between the two of them, narrowed.**

**She then spoke up, determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. "So, Draco dear, what was this about dragging Hermione in here and kissing her?"**

Draco glared at her in annoyance. Why was it that mothers liked to embarrass their children so much? "I didn't say I was _going_ to do it, I said how would you like it if I did? To prove a point since I don't, and I'm sure Granger doesn't, enjoy watching you necking with our professor." Snape had a small smile on his lips as he listened, seeming amused that Draco was annoyed with them both.

"I can't help it if I'm good at keeping this beautiful woman happy," he said softly, taking a long sip of tea. He really did love Narcissa. He'd loved her and waited for her all these years, not bothering to even try and find another love like her. And now, the waiting had paid off. They weren't trying to be gross, they were just making up for lost time. Narcissa's arranged marriage had broken both their hearts and if Draco couldn't understand that, then he could bugger off.

**Hermione finished her scone and stood up briefly, stopping beside Draco. "Maybe you should take a leaf out of his book and actually treat a woman with love," she told Draco pointing at Snape with a smirk. Ha. Payback for whatever it was he was hiding. She was almost positive that there was something he wasn't telling her and once she got her memory back he was dead. Munching on her scone, she walked back out of the room as the elder couple chuckled at her remark. **

**"I think Hermione's right dear, he really is sweet," Narcissa nodded as she pressed a light kiss to Snape's cheek.**

"I give up," Draco snapped, throwing his hands helplessly into the air as he snatched up his cup of tea and headed out the kitchen door that led to the backyard. He didn't want to argue with them any longer or be poked fun at. It seemed like in this crowd he was always the butt of the joke.

The grumpy Slytherin made his way over to a tire swing that was hanging from a large oak and slid into it, feeling strange today. Maybe it was because he was in muggle clothes and sipping tea as he swung in some kid's tire swing. Or maybe it was because Weasel and Potter were heading into the house.

What?! Choking and spitting out some of the hot liquid, the cup dumped down his front as he fought to escape the tire swing and sprawled out onto the ground, grass stains ruining his jeans as he pushed himself up and ran for the house.

**Hermione went upstairs, changing into some warmer clothes. She felt more comfortable with herself then she had in a long time and smiled as she slipped into a pair of snug jeans and a light blue sweater. It wasn't as baggy as she was used to, but it was warm and cozy and perfect for the day after being sniffly and sick. She smiled to herself as she pulled on her socks, still thinking about when Draco had kissed her cheek. He had been a rude prat, but that kiss had somehow made it better.**

**Something had changed between them the day before. She could tell. The blond was doing a lot less snapping and he seemed worried about hurting her feelings, while trying to hide that fact. She chuckled slightly as she grabbed some tissues, blowing her nose and throwing them in the bin before walking down stairs to see what everyone was doing now. **

**Or just to see what Draco was doing.**

"Herms!" Ron cried, seeing her come down the stairs. Him and Harry had been chatting with Snape and Narcissa while they waited for their friend to finish whatever she was doing upstairs.

Running to the curly haired witch, Ron threw his arms around her and began apologizing like crazy before she could hex him. "I'm so sorry, 'Mione. Really, I hate myself. Please forgive me. You have to forgive me. I'm really really really-"

"Lavender cheated on him," Harry cut in, crossing his arms over his chest with a smug expression as he watched Ron throw himself at their gorgeous friend. Why was it that everyone else seemed to be realizing that Hermione was so appealing right when he finally had a bit of a chance with her? Ron needed to realize that he didn't have a chance with her anymore. Of course the red head had babbled the whole way to the apparition about winning her back. Like Harry was going to let that happen.

Meanwhile, an annoyed blond was peeking around the edge of the door, trying to spy on the trio without them knowing he was listening. Just seeing Ron with his arms around her made his blood boil. He knew it was stupid to get angry when he had just been trying to convince Hermione that she needed to be with someone else, but he would rather watch a vivid shag session between his mother and Snape then let Ron date _his_ stuck up, prissy mudblood.

**"Ron," she replied, her tone cold and unimpressed as he hugged her. Hermione's arms just hung at her sides as Harry revealed the truth behind why Ron was apologizing. "Oh, Lavender cheated on you did she?" Hermione asked Ron, "well really, that must feel terrible to have someone cheat on you." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as her eyes landed on Harry as he chuckled at Ron's discomfort. **

**"It's great seeing you both," she said, though her heart really wasn't in it, that much was obvious. Her tired gaze swept over the two boys towards Narcissa and Snape. "Do either of you know which direction Draco went in? There was something I wanted to speak to him about."**

**Ron's ears instantly went red as he pulled back from Hermione. "That ugly ferret's here?" he demanded, glaring around the kitchen suspiciously. She gasped as a flash of Draco, laid out on his bed butt naked in the pale moon light blinked through her mind. Had she seen Draco naked?! She nearly fainted right there and then. **

**Was this her memory returning...or she was just imagining things...?**

"I'm right here," Draco grumbled, stepping out of the kitchen and looking positively adorable with his tea covered shirt and grass stained pants, like a naughty child just in from playing. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glared at Ron coldly. "Nice to see you too, Weasel."

Harry felt his control of the situation slipping away. If Draco was here all the time with Hermione then he had all that extra time to make a move. And from what he had seen so far, she wouldn't exactly be against it. "Go away, Malfoy," he spat, "we came to see Hermione, not you."

"Yes, I'll get right on that," Draco nodded with a pleasant smile, "while I'm at it should I polish your shoes, do your laundry and finish your homework?" The idea of Draco doing any of those things for Harry was as absurd as him leaving just because he was told to.

**Hermione covered her large smile with a hand as she held in a laugh. Since when did Draco making fun of Harry amuse her? She couldn't hold in though as she got a look at the blond, seeing the 'perfect' Draco all covered in grass stains and tea. "Did a tea pot wrestle you into the grass?" she asked him once her laughter was under control, amusement twinkling in her eyes. She was going to play with him today since he refused to cooperate. She looked back to Harry and Ron with a raised eyebrow.**

**"I suppose I can forgive you Ron, I did hold back a lot," she said hugging him lightly. Ron had a look of bliss on his face like he thought he was already winning the young woman back.**

Both Harry and Draco rolled their eyes at the same time, knowing Ron had no chance after what he'd done. She may have forgiven him for his actions, but that didn't mean that she would ever date him again and risk the same thing happening.

"I fell," Draco narrowed his eyes at the laughing witch, "and my tea spilled. I was actually just coming in to change and your sickening little reunion blocked my way." Harry scoffed quietly and moved to put a hand protectively on Hermione's shoulder.

"Maybe you should get used to the idea that friends actually mean something to us and that Hermione isn't just some girl you can dump your anger and frustration at your own pathetic life on," he pointed out with a sneer to rival Draco's, "maybe if your daddy had slapped you around a little bit more then you'd have some sense knocked into that ugly head of yours."

The blond stared at Harry with a shocked expression before he turned and went silently out the back door again. A chair screeched across the tiles as Snape stood angrily, watching his son escape to the outside. "Mr. Potter…that was _very_ uncalled for."

**Hermione gasped slightly at what Harry said before slapping him, rather hard, across the face. "Harry James Potter! I have never heard such tripe come from your mouth!" she snapped, glaring at him, "have you ever once considered that maybe I care for Draco too? If you were my friend you would accept that and not say such horrible things! Honestly..." She spun, growling slightly about insensitive boys before storming out after Draco. **

**Harry didn't understand anything...**

**"Draco?" Hermione called as she looked around, not really sure which direction he had gone in. Her eyes scanned the grounds until she finally spotted him, moving in that direction as quickly as she could. Catching hold of his elbow, Hermione tried to stop his angry retreat. "Draco?" she asked again.**

"Please just go and be with your friends," Draco said softly, heading back for the tire swing since his broom was inside. He didn't want to 'talk about it' like Hermione would. It was just much easier to pretend he didn't care and that he wasn't offended. Harry was at the bottom of his list of people he cared about what they thought of him, but that had just felt like a slap across the face.

Snape came outside slowly, looking unsure if he should approach the two of them. After a moments pause, he joined Hermione and watched as Draco climbed into the tire swing and kicked with his feet to swing himself. The boy didn't seem much in the mood for talking.

**Hermione bit her bottom lip gently before looking to Snape wondering what she should do. "I'm already with my friend," she replied after a moment, sitting down beside the tire swing and laying back on the grass. She could tell Draco didn't want to talk, but she still wanted to be there for him. So she would be there for him silently. **

**She looked up at their Professor as he stood there uncomfortably and gave him a small smile. "I wouldn't leave Narcissa with Harry and Ron. We still do need Harry to defeat Voldemort and it won't do any good if she kills him now for insulting her partner and son."**

"Yes, unfortunately, no one will be murdering Harry today," Snape remarked with a look of disgust, "if you'll both excuse me." His gaze lingered on Draco before he turned and jogged back towards the house. Narcissa was probably ready to strangle Harry or hex him until he screamed 'sorry' a million times, by now.

Draco continued to swing, kicking the ground harder each time he needed to get momentum again. "There's...room for one more," he said quietly after about ten minutes of silence, glancing down at Hermione in the grass. Of course by 'room', he meant she'd have to sit on his lap, facing him, to fit on. Draco had no idea why he'd even said that in the first place, but he kind of wished that Hermione remembered what had taken place the day before so he could have someone to hug.

**Hermione opened her eyes, which had closed contently as she lay there in the sunlight. She raised an eyebrow at him. "By 'room', do you mean straddling you?" she asked with a chuckle. Wouldn't that be a sight for everyone to see if they came outside. She gave a small nod though and stood up, stopping the swing as she tried to decide the best way to climb up onto the tire. **

**With Draco's help, she easily slipped onto his lap, her legs moving behind his hips and her arms going around his neck as she rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him.**

Draco smirked and slid his arms on either side of her as they hugged in the intimate position, still swinging them gently as he let his eyes close. The way Hermione was cuddled into him must have taken a lot of courage on her part and he liked the way her feet just kind of dangled in the air, like he was her swing. "You know, if you looked at me, we'd be in perfect range for kissing," Draco mentioned casually, pushing a little harder off the ground that time so the swung about halfway up to the branch the swing was tied to.

Now he was just being a brat again. But if she did it then at least he could get his mind on something besides memories of pain at Lucius' hand. The more he tried to forget, the more he seemed to remember... Severus had been upset at the insult, but Harry was right. Lucius had more often then not taken out his anger on his wife and 'son'.

**Draco had no idea how much courage it had really taken Hermione to climb up there with him, but she was glad now that she had sucked it up and gone to him. She wanted to comfort him anyway, she was still angry with Harry for saying those things. Hermione let out a small chuckle as he spoke up again. "Is that so?" she whispered, amusement in her voice. Even while hurting, Draco was such a man. Rather then get upset at his teasing comment, she turned her head and kissed the side of his neck lightly, turning her head to look him in the eyes afterwards. There really was something different about him... **

**"Harry, take a look at this!" hissed Ron from the second story window as he looked down at Draco and Hermione, "what does that prick think he's doing to my Herms?" Snape had in fact come back in to find Narcissa's hands around Harry's throat and had to save the idiot from certain doom. Not that he wouldn't have deserved it. Eventually though, the two boys had escaped upstairs while Snape took Narcissa aside to calm her down.**

Draco's breath caught in his throat as Hermione kissed the sensitive part of his neck, wondering why she was being so sweet. He had been a grumpy, irritable jerk most of the morning and here she was accepting him with open arms. It made no sense. Not aware that they had an audience, Draco gently touched Hermione's cheek, bringing her face up to his for a proper kiss. The first kiss he'd initiated without a second thought. He wanted to kiss her and hadn't thought it through with a million reasons why he shouldn't. He just...did it.

"That bloody bastard!" Harry growled in a blood chilling sort of way that made Ron's eyes widen as his gaze snapped to his best mate. Harry was awfully upset for someone who was 'just friends' with the pretty witch.

"HE'S KISSING HER!" Ron shouted, turning his head back just in time to see Draco 'force' a kiss on her. "That's it, let's go out there and rescue 'Mione."

**Harry for once agreed with Ron as he gave a sharp nod and they both went running down the stairs and out the door with full intent of beating Draco to a bloody pulp. He had no right to force Hermione to do anything at all with him, especially kissing! **

**Hermione gave a small smile into the kiss. This was sweet. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as her toes practically curled. Draco had kissed her...and not by accident.**

**That was when yet another memory came back. Hermione stuttering to him that she was falling in love with him and then demanding to know if he was in love with her. Hold on... He had said yes! "I'm not falling in love anymore, I'm there," she whispered against his lips. It would click later in his mind that he had been trying to deny admitting to love her and now she knew the truth. For now, she was more interested in something else. **

**Without a second thought or waiting for his reaction she deepened the kiss, her eyes closed. She wasn't aware of Harry and Ron storming towards them with murder written in their eyes.**

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Will Harry and Ron murder the unsuspecting Draco?! Tune in next chapter to find out. grins (Draco is a little sappy this chapter, so please forgive us. We just figure that he's never had to deal with this kind of emotional stuff before. Anyhow, please review and tell us what you thought!)


	17. Friendship

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter and because Nat has to go to work soon, she's going to cut these author's notes short. (Remember that this is a roleplay between two people. XD) Enjoy!

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Last Chapter: That was when yet another memory came back. Hermione stuttering to him that she was falling in love with him and then demanding to know if he was in love with her. Hold on... He had said yes! "I'm not falling in love anymore, I'm there," she whispered against his lips. It would click later in his mind that he had been trying to deny admitting to love her and now she knew the truth. For now, she was more interested in something else.

Without a second thought or waiting for his reaction she deepened the kiss, her eyes closed. She wasn't aware of Harry and Ron storming towards them with murder written in their eyes.

-:-

Draco pulled Hermione as close as he could get her against his body and prayed that this wasn't just some kind of dream and he'd wake up in the morning to find that he was still in his bed at Hogwarts. He felt like he was going to burst with happiness as their mouths moved against each other, the need to finally kiss each other overwhelming their common sense. What had she just said? It was unfair for her to say much of anything when his brain was in a hazy fog from their kisses. "Say something?" he mumbled against her lips, reluctantly pausing to breathe. How inconvenient it was that his body needed stupid air to live. He wanted to keep kissing her before she told him to stop.

Before he could hear her reply though Draco was roughly yanked from the swing and slammed into the grass, an angry Ron holding him down while Harry cracked his knuckles. "You think you're soooo smart don't you Malfoy? Seducing Hermione away from us so you could use her and learn all our secrets. I can't believe she really fell for a trap set up by such a slimy, disgusting git."

Draco was gasping like a fish out of water from having the wind knocked out of him and although he glared daggers at Harry, he couldn't catch his breath enough to wheeze out more then a 'damn you'. Harry kicked him in the side and smiled. Maybe now Malfoy would learn to bugger off and stop trying to wreck their lives.

Hermione let out an 'umph' as she went flying towards the ground in the other direction, Draco having been ripped from underneath her. Oh now, _now_ she was pissed off. This wasn't sexy angry. This was scary angry. She stood and stalked over to both Harry and Ron, shoving them roughly away from Draco. "How dare you," she hissed in a deadly low voice as she glared at them. "Why the hell would he need to 'trap' me for information? You're both jealous little assholes who need a bloody reality check. End of Story; that's all there is to know." Her eyes blazed as they flickered between her two former best friends. "Voldemort isn't stupid Harry he knows how to kill you. He just can't do it because you've got a shit load of luck," she snapped, shoving them again.

"And what's this seducing crap? Since when the hell can I be seduced? You both know that I tend to think too much for that to properly work, and why would he be using me? Am I that bad that no one could possibly want me for me without some alterior motive?" she demanded, before growling and shoving them yet again. Ron actually stumbled and fell this time with an expression of shock. "Let me get something straight, Ronald. I-do-not-love-you!" She said the last five words slowly, in a mocking drawl similar to Draco's as though Ron was a complete idiot. At the moment, he really was acting like one. "And Harry, I _don't_ love you either!" Glaring still, she pointed towards Draco on the ground. "See him? I love him!"

Draco was in a great deal of pain, but his eyes still widened in surprise as she declared her love for him to her two best friends. Sitting up with his hand clenched against his side, Draco groaned quietly but felt himself swell with pride. She wasn't afraid to tell people. Oh merlin, this was not going to go over well...

"YOU WHAT?!" Harry snapped loudly, looking at her like she'd lost her mind, "Hermione, he's the enemy! And if you really believe that he likes you at all for anything other then a quick shag then you're going to be sorely disappointed!"

"Hey!" Draco protested, pushing himself up to his feet, "I'm standing right here you fucking arse."

Ron shook his head, his face so pale that every freckle stood out in stark contrast as he stood back up as well. "Why..._how_...could you love that? After...I mean, think of what he's put you through! How could you love someone who treats you like garbage every time you run into each other?!"

Hermione glared at Ron harshly and he took a step back. "That so called 'garbage', Ronald Billus Weasley, treats me a hell of a lot better then you ever did." Her death glare moved to Harry. "And _you,_ Harry James Potter... Who's to say that you don't want me just for a quick shag huh? Or Ronald? Since he had been so quick to run off into the arms of Gryffindors' resident slut, Lavender?" she growled.

"You either both get used to it or get the bloody hell away from both of us." Her tone spoke of punishment if they dared to go against her. She gave them one last glare for good measure before turning around and slipping her arm around Draco's waist, helping him back to the house.

"I'm sorry," she said to him softly.

"For what?" he breathed, looking at her in amazement, "that was bloody brilliant." A slight smirk came to Draco's face as she helped him inside, but he felt a little bad that she had been so quick to abandon her friends like that. He placed a hand on her arm to stop her once they were inside and gave Hermione the deepest, sexiest, most loving kiss that any girl had ever received from him, conveying his thanks that she'd stood up for him, despite everything,

"You should go and talk with them," Draco said quietly when they finally broke apart, "it can't be easy for them to hear you say that stuff about me..."

Outside, Harry swore and kicked things and finally shoved Ron out of the way as he stalked back over the a different part of the yard and apparated back to Hogwarts. Ron sat numbly in the grass, staring at the door Hermione had disappeared through. It couldn't be true...could it?

Hermione gave a small sound of amazement as he leaned down and kissed her. It wasn't like the hasty, accidental kisses he had given her before. There was something almost...tender...about the way he held her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him a little closer as she returned the kiss. Eventually they broke apart and Draco urged her to go talk with Harry and Ron. She smiled and hugged him again tightly. "I meant what I said before," she told him softly, "I really do love you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed the blond's cheek lightly before she sighed and went outside to try and save her friendships.

When she got out there though she saw that Harry had already taken off, but seeing Ron still sitting and looking stunned she let out a sigh of relief and went over to him. Seeming nervous, she sat down in front of him and took hold of his hands. "Ron," she started, drawing his startled gaze, "you and Harry are my best friends... I don't think it was supposed to be any other way, really. You're like my brother." She looked into his eyes, pleading for him to understand. "When we were dating, you still treated me the same. I wasn't your special girl or anything like that and that's why I never did anything with you, because I didn't feel loved. With Draco...I do feel loved. I feel special...important. Of course, we still do fight a lot, but strangely enough I love it...and him."

Draco felt his face go completely red as Hermione said she loved him again and watched her hurry back outside with a slight smile. How could she admit to it so easily? If anything, saying that to _him_ should be one of the hardest things she ever had to do. He knew it wasn't bloody easy at all for him to admit that he had anything more then a physical attraction to the curly haired Gryffindor. In fact, even now he was still struggling with his feelings. After hearing his whole life that it was wrong to even speak to a disgusting person of her heritage, he was having lots of doubts creeping their way into his heart and mind about ever having a relationship with Granger. Could they stand each other and stop fighting for long enough to be able to be in love?

Ron shook his head, looking lost and confused that everything was suddenly changing so quickly. Harry and Draco almost seemed to have switched roles and Hermione loved the despicable Slytherin. This was so wrong. If only Harry hadn't stormed off though and just stayed to at least support Hermione, if not her decision. "I…I don't know if I can live with just treating you like a sister," Ron said finally, his voice soft and a little nervous, "how can I stand watching that…that git with his hands and lips on you when that's what I want to be doing? I'll want to murder him every time I watch you two together. How is that someone like him gets the most attractive, intelligent witch in our year? Hardly fair…" The red head sighed and closed his eyes, sliding his arms around Hermione in a tight hug. It wasn't like the previous hug where he was clingy or trying to get her back. He just genuinely needed a hug.

Hermione let out a small breath as she hugged him back, thinking over the things that he had just said. "I can't begin to understand enough, myself, to explain it to you properly Ron," she told him, "but I can tell you that I will never be bored with him. I needed someone that challenged me, not just loved me... I'm sorry if I'm sounding selfish but he matches me almost exactly in intelligence and even though we fight _a lot_... " She let out an annoyed sound, trying to figure out how to explain to Ron how she was feeling in a way that would make sense to him. "I guess I'm just attracted to him Ron, mentally and physically." She pulled back out of the hug so she could look at his face.

"I know it's hard for you to accept, but please try Ron. Believe it or not he makes me happy...and if he is using me for some trap or whatever Harry believes, then he is. I have to learn from my mistakes, but I really do believe that he isn't...he's...opening up. I promise I won't do anything much with him when you're around if it bothers you that much."

"I don't want you doing anything much with him at all," Ron muttered protectively, crossing his arms over his chest, "you think I want to know that Malfoy, of all people, is touching you in places that even your best friends haven't? To say it doesn't and wouldn't bother me would be complete bollocks..." He glared towards the house as if Draco might be watching them and sighed. "But...I guess if he makes you happy...there isn't much I can about it, right? We all know how stubborn you are..." Looking torn between stealing her away and just murdering Draco, Ron just sighed again and kissed Hermione's cheek. "I swear though, if he makes you cry or hurts you in any way I'm going to beat the shit out of him..."

Draco leaned against the kitchen counter, looking out the window as Hermione and Ron talked. He didn't really like Weasel, but he could tolerate him a lot more then Potter. At least Ron wasn't competition. If Harry really put his mind to it then he could probably make Hermione doubt her relationship with him... Narrowing his eyes as Ron kissed _his_ Hermione's cheek, he decided that they'd had enough time alone. Casually heading for the door and strolling outside, Draco joined the two and leaned against the tree. "Everything all right out here?" he asked carefully. The way Ron was forcing the glare off his face made him feel that he should at least have a somewhat truce for now. For Hermione's sake.

"Everything's fine," Hermione smiled at him, looking a lot happier now that she had worked out her friendship with at least one of her friends. She looked back to Ron and he gave her a weak smile. "I promise I won't stand in your way if he does," she stated before standing up and looking at Draco. "You really do need to get changed," she chuckled slightly as she once again took in his tea and grass stained clothing. "Stay for dinner?" she asked Ron, who looked between the two and gave a reluctant nod, looking like he'd rather eat his own puke then stay and eat dinner with Draco.

Hermione leant down and kissed his forehead. "Thank you Ron," she smiled, before standing up straight and grabbing hold of Draco's hand, taking him back to the house so he could get changed.

Ron followed after Draco and Hermione with a grumpy expression, wondering how he was going to stand knowing that Malfoy had won Hermione's heart. Here he had thought that all he'd have to do was come crying back to her and he'd be forgiven and welcomed back with open arms. Ha, but that was what usually happened. It was almost the same thing as Viktor in fourth year, where he had waited too long to ask her to the dance. Ugh. He was such an idiot sometimes. Catching up with the pair, he slid his hand around Hermione's free one and gave her another weak smile. He was _trying_ to deal with it, but it was going to take a while to get used to the idea of Malfoy and Hermione together.

Draco noticed Ron come up on the other side and gave Hermione's hand a possessive squeeze before letting go. There wasn't really room for all three of them to walk with joined hands and he needed to head upstairs anyway. "I'll be down in a minute," Draco said in an almost friendly tone for once, "so don't try anything funny Weasel." Giving him a grin, he jogged up the stairs to get into clean clothes.

Ron shuddered at the grin, but gave a small nod. The urge to insult Malfoy was growing stronger. Hermione looked at Ron and gave his hand a small squeeze before smiling and letting go of his hand. "It's okay," she told him, "if at any time you can't handle it, just walk out the room. I'll understand...but I don't want to lose your friendship Ron." She gave him another soft hug before leading him into the kitchen.

"Well, since I asked you to stay, you get to choose what I cook for dinner," she smiled, sitting Ron down as she looked at him.

"You're cooking?" Ron asked, his face instantly lighting up. It was rare that he got to eat Hermione's cooking, but he loved it.

"How about that chicken thing with the nuts you made last time we stayed here, " he told her.

Hermione chuckle. "Honey chicken with rice?" she asked him and Ron nodded eagerly.

"Are there any cookies I can eat while I'm waiting?" he asked, standing up and looking around.

"Honestly Ronald, you're like a child," she scolded lightly.

"Your point?" Ron grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "They're over there," she said pointing to them. Before she realized what was happening, Ron was sitting at the table with the open jar in front of him as he munched on a cookie.

Draco changed into dark green slacks with a light mint coloured shirt to match and made sure to brush his hair and make sure he was as sexy as ever before heading back downstairs. These particular pants showed off his arse, so he was rather smug as he came strolling down, knowing Hermione wouldn't be able to resist looking. "What smells so good?" the blond asked suddenly, sniffing the air as the honey base for the chicken was being made.

"'Mione's food," Ron smiled tightly, not sure how to act around Malfoy exactly since he just wanted to punch him in the face at the moment. "Uh...cookie?" It was a lame thing to offer, but he thought it would be preferable to 'I want to beat your face in, ferret'.

"No thanks," Draco declined, plopping down in a seat across from Ron and leaning back in the chair. Hmm, what to say? He didn't really care about the Weasel too much, other then the fact that he wanted him gone. Having Hermione alone and to himself would be better right now. "So...anything you want to do while dinner's cooking? I bet I can still whip you at flying."

Hermione looked away from her cooking as Draco walked in. He was right, her eyes instantly went to his arse as Draco walked past her and she smirked slightly before looking away. Yep, mentally and physically attracted. She silently went back to her cooking as Ron and Draco made a lame attempt to get along...until Draco brought up flying. "Ron didn't bring his broom," she said pointedly to Draco, thankful for that fact. There was no way that she was letting those to fly together. It would be a death match between their egos to impress her with their manly display. She hated to say it, but she knew Draco would win.

"Don't be silly 'Mione," Ron said cheerfully, pulling something out his pocket, "it's right here." He grinned as Hermione glared at him. Ron, oblivious as always, was it was rather proud of his new broom that Hermione had bought him for his last birthday.

"Just let me grab mine," Draco smirked, his eyes already flashing challenging, "I can hardly wait to beat you into the ground."

Ron smirked right back, returning the broom to its full size as he stood from his seat. "We'll see, Malfoy. We'll see." Him and Harry had been practicing some new maneuvers and he was eager to make Draco look like an idiot in front of Hermione. In fact, both boys were rather eager to impress her.

Hermione's mouth opened and shut a few times as she tried to think of any sort of protest that would stop them from going outside and tearing each other apart. The only thing that really came to mind though was something along the lines of, 'no you can't...I forbid it because I don't know who I would want to win.' She sighed slightly, giving in to the fact that she wouldn't be able to stop them.

"No blood," she said lamely.

"You're no fun Herms," Ron winked, moving to sneak a taste of the sauce she was making for the chicken, "mmm, but I'm really looking forward to that food." Of course. When was Ron _not_ ready for food?

Draco came down a moment later, broom in hand, and punched Ron's shoulder a little harder then he needed to as he passed the red head. "Catch me if you can, Weasel," he laughed, bursting out the door and kicking off of the ground barely a second after he leapt onto his broom.

"Bloody...," Ron trailed off, seeing Draco shoot off into the sky like a blur. Since when was Malfoy so fast? "I'll show him!" he growled, running out the door after Draco and kicking off a little bit more slowly. He was nervous about trying to beat the arrogant Slytherin since he might play dirty, but as he reached the blond way up in the sky, he noticed a different smile on his face. A...sneaky one. "What are you up to?" he glared, backing away from Draco quickly.

"No, no, Ron. You have to help me," Draco chuckled, flying around the side of the house and gesturing for Ron to follow. The red head didn't really trust the other boy, but he followed anyway and landed beside him.

"What? What's this big secret? You better not be planning on tying me up and ditching me somewhere out here," Ron glared worriedly.

"Take the stick out of your arse and listen," Draco whispered with a smirk. To punish Hermione for running off on them in the rain the other day, he had a plan. It was evil...but fun. "If you agree, this is what you have to do...," Draco lowered his voice, whispering into Ron's ear as he explained what had happened and what he wanted to do.

"I...guess...," Ron nodded, "but you owe me Malfoy."

Hermione sighed as she continued to make the dinner, her mind on Draco and Ron... They'd better not kill each other or she'd kill them. She shook her head lightly and got out the bag of rice and the pot, scooping up three cups of rice into the pot and adding six cups of water to it before placing it on the stove top. Turning it on, she went back to her chicken. She hummed something under her voice as she moved to the sauce stirring it.

She glanced worriedly to the window. Was it a bad sign that she hadn't seen them pass by since they got up in the air?

"HERMIONE!" Ron cried, bursting back through the door with his broom dragging uselessly behind him, "s-someone...Draco...gone...taken!" He stammered the last part since he actually _was_ out of breath from running as fast as he could around the side of the house. While he was telling her, Draco was going to sneak in the front door and surprise her. Maybe then she'd think twice before running off and putting herself in danger while everyone worried about her.

Hermione looked at Ron, halfway between walking to the sink with a large pot of cooked rice that needed to be strained. Her eyes widened and her face paled as she continued to look at Ron in shock, the pot slipping out of her hands and loudly dropping onto the ground as the rice went in every which direction from the impact. "W-What?" she asked Ron, her hands shaking as her eyes glazed over with tears. This wasn't happening! This couldn't be happening...

"It was a person in a cloak," Ron lied, seeming very realistically shaken up as he dropped his broom and looked back over his shoulder, "I was winning, or I thought I w-was...and when I looked back, Draco was fighting someone in the air and they...they're gone."

"Who's gone?" Remus frowned, just arriving at the safe house to check on everything when he walked into the panicked conversation. Ron paled and swore under his breath. Crap, this wasn't going to work if Lupin believed it too! Everyone would be freaking out!

"Draco," Hermione said, her voice a little choked as she looked to Remus. It seemed taht she might burst into tears at any second. Draco...was gone. Taken...dead for all she knew. She pushed past Ron and Remus, picking up her wand, and headed quickly towards the front door. She was suddenly stopped as Remus held her around the waist, restraining her from leaving on her own. "Let me go!" she yelled, trying with all her might to get out of the werewolf's grasp.

"I'm not really gone," Draco said sheepishly from around the corner, his cheeks tinged with red as he stepped out into the open where they could all see him. It didn't seem like as smart of an idea as it had when he'd thought of it since he didn't take into account that Hermione would be seriously freaked out.

Ron came forward and laid a gentle hand on her arm, hoping she wouldn't murder them both when she heard the truth. "H-He's all right 'Mione, see? Just calm down..."

Remus looked between the three teens and raised his eyebrows carefully. "What exactly is going on here boys?"

Draco shifted uncomfortably and shrugged, looking embarrassed as he stared at the floor. "I wanted Hermione to learn what it felt like for someone to just be gone and take off like that. She did it to me, my mother and Professor Snape a couple of days ago..."

Hermione looked at Draco in disbelief as the tears finally escaped from her eyes. She pushed herself out of Remus' now loose grip before silently walking up the stairs without saying a word to anyone. How dare he! When she had done it, it was completely different. She had left to visit her grandparents' grave and there hadn't been any real danger. Ron had just tried to tell her that Draco had been taken by a death eater! She walked into her bedroom and softly shut the door, slipping off her shoes and hiding under her blankets, trembling.

How could he be so evil? So mean? To do something like that...and to think Ron was in on it!

"At least she didn't scream at us," Ron said quietly, sitting at the table with a scared expression. He'd never seen Hermione like this before. Normally she was more then happy to give everyone a sound talking to and list all the reasons why they were in the wrong and stupid for not using their heads.

"Am I...missing something?" Remus asked in confusion, looking at Draco with an unnerving gaze.

"I...have to go talk to her," he said quickly, leaving Ron to explain the new situation to their former professor. He wasn't in the mood to be all friendly with them anyhow. Hurrying up the stairs, Draco paused outside Hermione's door for a moment before knocking. This had turned out completely opposite of how he had planned.

"Go away," Hermione's shaken voice came softly as she heard the knock on the door. Insensitive prats, all of them. Why did she bother with any of them? She'd be better off being alone for the rest of her life, living in an old smelly cottage with lots of cats. She gave a small shudder at the thought. Why hadn't she yelled and gotten mad? She wasn't really too sure herself. She wanted to, but for some reason she just couldn't find the energy to do it. This was different. By a long shot. She had been terrified that Draco may very well have been dead.

And Draco did just what he was asked. He went away. Despite all the feelings that were making him want to bang the door open and demand that she listen to his explanation, Draco left. He went back down the stairs with a frustrated expression and slumped down onto the couch, looking into the fire with a heavy heart. What he had done was really stupid. How was it that being around that witch made him so stupid? Hermione really needed someone more predictable that wouldn't always make her upset or cry. He really didn't think she should be wasting her precious time on him, now or ever. Maybe...maybe she needed someone better. Someone who wasn't him. He would just have to be his usual self and drive her away. Then she could move on and find someone else and be happy...

Hermione sniffed slightly as she listened to the footsteps walk away from her room. She could tell that it was Draco. She didn't know how, but she could. Ron would put up more of a fight by coming in to argue and Remus would stand outside the door and reason with her. If Narcissa had been there she would just walk in and demand that Hermione get over it and stop crying over such nonsense. She couldn't help but give a small smile imagining Narcissa doing just that. She took in a breath before slipping out of the bed and silently walking out her room and down the stairs.

She watched Draco on the couch for a few moments before silently walking up to him without a word and sliding in beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist. There was a moment of silence before she laid her head on his shoulder. "Please don't do something like that again."

"Don't worry, I won't," he said flatly, shifting away from her so she was forced to let go of him. He could hear Weasel and Lupin still talking quietly in the kitchen and felt pain swelling up in his chest. He wanted them all to dislike him again. It was too dangerous to involve himself with Hermione. He really couldn't stand the idea of hurting the pretty Gryffindor anymore. It was better this way, right? Chase her off before something more then what they already had happened, happened. Maybe...if she thought he was just pretending to like her to get the confession of love...and he made fun of her for it...then she'd know he was just the same old prat. Here we go.

Phase 1: Make her hate you again.

"Draco?" she asked, taking her arms back and looking at him confused. Her eyes flashed with clear feelings of hurt once again. He was moving away from her, and not just physically. Why did he have to keep doing that? Well, he wasn't doing it this time. She glared at him and stood up, facing him befor she slapped him hard across the face. "Don't you dare, Draco Malfoy," she warned him, looking him straight in the eye, "I will never hate you no matter what you try. How can you do that?" Her eyes glazed over once again with tears. "I was heartbroken over the possibility that you had been killed and now you go back to this?" she demanded, shaking her head and walking away to her room. She couldn't deal with this at the moment.

"YOU SHOULD HATE ME!" Draco shouted after her angrily, his face throbbing where she had hit him. He never asked for Hermione to be attracted to him. It made way more sense for her to just stay with Ron or someone else sweet and kind and _good_. Draco knew he was rough around the edges and often spiteful just because he felt like it. She deserved much better then that. In fact, he wasn't sure he even deserved a girl like _Pansy_, let alone Hermione. Fuck. What was he supposed to do? He didn't know how he felt about being with her in a relationship sense, but all Draco knew was that he was all wrong for her. She was too damn stubborn about it, but eventually she'd see that he wasn't the man for her.

Ron and Lupin jumped at Draco's yell and watched in surprise as the blond stood from the couch and headed out the front door, slamming it behind him. "_Now_ what's going on?" Ron sighed, excusing himself to go and check on Hermione. Stupid Malfoy. He knew this would happen.

Hermione looked up as Ron walked in and gave him a weak smile as she looked back down at the ripped parchment that was in her hands. It was the sketch Draco had ripped when he had caught her looking through his portfolio. Ron sighed and sat beside her trying to look at what it was, but Hermione moved it just out of his sight. "I hate to say it, but I told you so." Ron said softly. Hermione glared at Ron and without saying a word she stood up, taking hold of Ron's ear and pulling him to the door. She shoved him out hard before slamming it in his face.

"What did I do?!" Ron exclaimed, leaning his forehead against the door. She sure was touchy. "Hermione, don't be like that. You know it's true! No one expects Malfoy to exactly be...nice...or sweet...or any of the other qualities that would be desirable in a normal person. He's just a cold, heartless bastard and he doesn't have any room in his heart for anyone but himself..." He knew this probably wasn't making her feel any better, but even if _she_ claimed to love Draco, that didn't mean that he would like her back.

Draco rubbed his chest slowly as an aching pain spread out from his heart. Why wasn't anything in life ever easy? There wasn't ever a simple solution or an easy way out that lead to a happy ending. Maybe that was just it. Maybe there was no happy ending, at least...not for people like him. Running a hand through his hair, Draco continued walking in no particular direction. His strides were long and fast though, carrying him away from the safe-house at considerable speed. He didn't care anymore if his father found him or if he died or any of that. He just wanted to get away from people. Away from the ones who challenged him to be more then a nasty git, which he didn't know if he could ever do. How could he ever be anyone but who he was? No amount of 'love' or 'caring' was going to change his outlook on life or make him any more of a 'sweet' person. God, why couldn't she see that? He was who he was. Take it or leave.

Phase 2: Have a pity party

Hermione's door came open, causing Ron to stumble forward slightly before standing up straight. "Bloody hell Her-"

"Draco is not cold and heartless!" she yelled, shoving him in the chest. She needed to vent her anger out on something and Ron had just pushed her in the wrong direction, so he unfortunately was the one that was going to have to deal with it. "He is just as sensitive as you are! He just hides it a hell of a lot better. He wants to be loved just as much as you do. You're judging him on what he's been like in the past. He was a child that was following his father's orders. Sure, some of it may actually have been Draco, but he hates Lucius. He wanted his father's love and that's the only reason he did all those things through school...so his father would be proud of him. But Lucius was never happy no matter what Draco did," Hermione said angrily. "Can you say you would be this free loving if your father was like Lucius, Ronald?" she demanded, before pushing him out and slamming the door once again, letting out a heavy breath.

She felt better now.

Ron gaped at the closed door with wide eyes. Since when had Hermione felt this damn strongly about Malfoy? Sure, she had said she 'loved' him, but he didn't really want to believe it. From the sounds of it she had gotten him to open up and actually talk with her. Weird. He shuddered uncomfortably and slowly made his way back downstairs. Thinking about 'Draco' as anything but a prat was just creepy.

Draco glanced up as his foot hit pavement, surprised to find that he was in some sort of town. Muggle or wizard he hadn't quite had time to figure out yet, but the smell of food from one of the bigger buildings made his stomach growl. Sighing and heading for the inn-like building, Draco pushed through the front door and found himself in a seedy bar, much darker and creepier then even the leaky cauldron. It was clearly a place for wizards though since two men in the corner were dueling drunkenly and tripping over their own feet.

Rolling his eyes, Draco ordered a butterbeer and a meal and felt really out of place in his nice clothes. Most people were in cloaks or dressed shabbily, like they lived on the streets. He did his best to ignore some of the stares though and munched quietly on the food that was given to him. A meal and four firewhiskeys later, Draco was snoring softly on the counter of the bar.

By the time midnight rolled around Hermione was pacing the living room floor, wanting to know where the hell Draco was. The locket hadn't even entered her thoughts as Ron tried to calm her down. "Ron, piss off," she snapped finally, getting annoyed with him before pacing again. Ron pouted and sat on the couch sulkily. It was at _that_ moment that the locket came to mind. She pulled out her wand and ignored Ron as he visibly flinched away from her while she casted the spell over the necklace and put the wand back.

"DRACO MALFOY WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!" she yelled in a furious tone.

"Nghn!" Draco snorted, his head coming up so fast that he nearly fell backwards off the bar stool he had been sitting on. What the hell? Where was he? And who was screaming at him? The barmaid gave him a sweet smile and came over.

"Can I get you another one, darlin'?" she asked, tilting her head a little as she studied him. He didn't seem to be the normal sort that came in their establishment. Now it was even more packed since it was late at night and no one had bothered Draco, probably thinking he had passed out.

"S'fine," he slurred, reaching into his pocket and dropping some coins onto the counter to pay for his food and drink, not seeming to notice that he had a whole lot less then he'd come in with. "I gotta go," he sighed, stumbling as he pushed open the door and stepped into the cool night air. Ah, that was better. The fresh air hit his face like a bucket of water and he sobered a little. Enough to walk straight at least. Well...sort of.

"H-Hermione?" Ron said weakly, not sure if she'd hear his quiet, but freaked out voice over her rage. How the hell did she think she was talking to Malfoy? Maybe it was time to make her go to sleep…

"Ron," she said flatly, her glare shifting to him and making him shrink back into the seat. "I already told you to piss off. Do you need me to say it again?" she said in an overly calm and sweet voice.

"N-No," he stuttered, putting his hands up innocently.

She was not happy at all. "Draconis Lucius Malfoy," she snapped, deciding that he should get used to her using his whole name when she was angry now that she knew it. A small snicker could be heard from Ron as at Draco's name. "Are you drunk?" she demanded. She could hear slurred words being spoken to someone that wasn't her.

"Hermione," Ron said in a concerned voice, "I think maybe you should get some sleep... You're star-"

"Ronald Weasley! Do not look at me like I'm crazy! Can't you tell I'm trying to talk to Malfoy here?" she demanded.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Ron nodded, fiddling with his hands worriedly like she might flip out at him at any moment, "Hermione you _can't_ be talking to him! He isn't here..." For a smart witch, she sure wasn't very bright at the moment.

Draco chuckled as Hermione's voice cut into his mind, wishing she could be a little quieter. It gave him a headache when she yelled. "You thinksh your sooooo perfect and wonderfulsh, but I know...I know dat you're just mad when yoush don't get the way you want thingsh to be." The sentence came out a little less intelligently then Draco would have liked but he'd got his basic point across. Was he drunk? He supposed so. That would explain why he had just curled up on the cobblestone in the middle of the street to feel the coolness on his face. That wasn't something a sober person would do...was it?

It was true though, Hermione was just angry with him for not doing what _she_ said. Bossy, stuck-up witch. Hearing Ron faintly in the background, Draco opened his eyes and sat up, staggering to his feet in time for a car to screech out of the way, narrowly missing him. So...maybe muggles lived here too? He laughed at nearly being hit full on by a car and heading to the place where he'd first come into town. There was grass over there. Nice soft grass...

"Ronald, I am a witch and you are a wizard. I know you're not exactly the brightest person alive but please, please tell me that you do have the mental capacity to actually realize that I'm talking to Malfoy by the way of...oh my god, 'magic'? Who would have thought?" she said in a fake gasp. She was being...a little mean, but she was mad. She had told him to go away so it wasn't her fault.

"Draco, I am not just mad when things don't go my way...okay maybe I am. But so are you! Don't go on about how I act; take a look in the bloody mirror! Actually don't, it wouldn't be healthy to spend _more_ time in front of the mirror," she stated.

Ron not knowing what to do to shut her up, kissed her roughly on the mouth, cutting off her next sentence with the sound of kissing clearly coming through on Draco's end.

Draco was more and more insulted as Hermione spoke, glad that he had decided she should hate him. She was being enough of a nag to drive any male nutters! He didn't have to take this! Just as his fogged mind was trying to come up with some angry reply, he heard Granger kissing Ron. It had to be the Weasel. She was trying to make him jealous?! That was no fucking better then Pansy.

"YOU'RE KISSHING HIM!?" Draco spat, falling face first on the cement since he had stop paying attention to where his feet were. Crying out in pain, he grumbled and pushed himself up, rubbing at the bleeding road burn he'd just gotten on his nose and cheek. That...that slut! She had just waited for him to leave so she could get it on with fire crotch. Erg. He didn't want to speak to her right now. Muttering the spell that cut off the contact, Draco stalked and stumbled out of town and collapsed in the grass, still nursing his wounds.

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed pushing him away. "You asshole, you just made it worse!" she yelled at him. Running out the front door without even stopping to grab her jacket, Hermione looked around frantically. "Draco? Draco?" she called before realizing that he must have turned off the connection. She pulled out her wand and muttered the spell once again.

"For your information, I wasn't kissing Ron, he was kissing me. Huge difference! And I pushed him away!" she explained quickly. "Anyway, I thought you wanted me to hate you? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me? Why should you care even if I was?" she exclaimed, walking down the street.

"Where are you?" she asked in a softer, more concerned tone.

Laying quietly in the grass, the blonde just wanted to shrivel up and die. His face hurt really badly and it hadn't occurred to his stupid, drunken self that he could use magic to heal it. It was nice and quiet for a moment before Hermione's annoying voice cut back into his head again. Stupid girl...he _didn't_ care. He just...didn't...ugh... Whatever. She was still wrong!

"Tell Weasel that the girlsh he datesh are all the same," Draco spat, cutting her off again. There. Much better.

Hermione growled and turned the locket back on so he could hear her again. "You, you," she spluttered, "complete and utter asshole! That's basically like me saying you're like all the pathetic creatures Lavender digs up and shags every night." She finished shrieking and cut off the connection on him for once, in a huff.

That asshole...who did he think he was? She wanted to hit some sense back into him.

Draco just rolled his eyes and lay on his side with his back to the town. The sky was clear and star-filled and he couldn't care less what Granger thought of him. He wanted her to hate him and as much as she denied the ability to, he was going to prove her wrong. As always. The blond was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice he was shivering and wet from the grass or that he had dried blood all down his face, smeared from the rubbing. A big mess twice in one day. That was a new record for him.

As if hearing his thoughts, Hermione turned the connection back on and spitefully spoke up once again. "I still don't hate you, you prat," she spat, before muttering the spell to cut it off. For the first time in Hermione's life, she pronounced a word wrong and it didn't sever their connection. Thankfully, for Hermione was going to need him soon enough.

"Well, well, well," came a gruff voice as Hermione spun around, her eyes wide. "What's a pretty young thing like you doing out all alone on the streets?" the man leered, looking at her. It seemed fear had made her forget that she was a witch with a perfectly good wand, something she had reminded Ron of barely half an hour ago. She was in real trouble now...and there was no Ron or Draco to save her.

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Oh no! Flee Hermione, flee! Or maybe she'll remember to use her wand. XD Tune in next chapter to see if a drunken Draco can still save the day! Please read and review.


	18. Hangovers Suck

Now we shall see if Hermione can come to her senses in time to save herself or if a handsome hero will have to do it for her! Thanks for the reviews last chapter everyone and we hope you enjoy the bubble bath that's coming up...

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Last chapter: As if hearing his thoughts, Hermione turned the connection back on and spitefully spoke up once again. "I still don't hate you, you prat," she spat, before muttering the spell to cut it off. For the first time in Hermione's life, she pronounced a word wrong and it didn't sever their connection. Thankfully, for Hermione was going to need him soon enough.

"Well, well, well," came a gruff voice as Hermione spun around, her eyes wide. "What's a pretty young thing like you doing out all alone on the streets?" the man leered, looking at her. It seemed fear had made her forget that she was a witch with a perfectly good wand, something she had reminded Ron of barely half an hour ago. She was in real trouble now...and there was no Ron or Draco to save her.

:-:

Damn her. There was no way he was letting Hermione have the last word. Whispering the spell with a slight hiccup, Draco glared angrily at the stars and yanked bits of grass out of the ground, not realizing that she hadn't cut off the connection in the first place. He'd just heard the wrong words and stupidly assumed that's what she had done. "I know what you're doingsh and you can't have the last wordsh!" he snapped, rather put off that she had just gotten _him_ to turn on the connection through the locket. He wasn't supposed to be the one trying to talk to her. "Well? Granger? What the bloody hellsh are you doing?"

Now he was just annoyed. It was fine for him to ignore her, but not the other way around. Didn't she know that? And _now_ who was she talking to? He sat up with a frown, wondering why some man was asking her about being on the 'street'. She was at home snogging Weasel…right?

Hermione took a step back, ignoring Draco's words. Not on purpose, but it might be a little strange to the man in front of her if she started to talk to someone who wasn't there. She really didn't want to freak him out and cause him to do something unpredictable. "I'm waiting for someone," she explained in a firm tone, taking another step back. It was almost completely obvious that she wasn't waiting for someone though. She was scared and it showed in her slightly shaky voice. Her wand remained forgotten for the time being in the face of this big burly stranger. The man let out a low laugh.

"Waiting for someone, heh?" he asked, "well, I live near by... Why don't you wait there?"

Wait…that was someone bad, Draco suddenly realized. Bothering Hermione! All anger and annoyance towards her was instantly forgotten as Draco tried to push himself up and fell over a few times before he headed back into town. Something just drew him that way as he spoke worriedly. "Granger? Hermione? Where ish you?"

He fumbled for his wand and tried to remember any spells that he could use to fight, not really sober enough to _think_ at all. Dammit. Noticing a bucket of rainwater in front of someone's home, he dunked his head in it and came out cough and spluttering. There, now he felt a bit more awake. Rubbing his eyes, the blond brushed wet hair off his forehead and stalked along the street, in search of the stupid Gryffindor who had ended up in trouble somewhere.

"No, I'm okay," she insisted nervously, "I said I'd wait across the road from the bakery near the pub. They'll be worried if I'm not here." She pointed a slightly trembling hand at the bakery and he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you sure, princess? It's not often I see such a pretty face out at this time of night... Especially not so near me' home," he said as he reached forward and ran his thumb down her cheek, causing Hermione to bite down hard on her bottom lip to keep from screaming.

"I'm sure," she nodded, pulling her gace from his grip and giving him a weak smile, "thank you for the offer though." She wanted nothing more than to see Draco walking towards her right now.

Draco broke into a run as Hermione mentioned the bakery and the pub, trying to remember where exactly the place had been when he was here. Hermione must have somehow ended up somewhere around where he had been, but his foggy brain wasn't remembering the exact location. Shit shit shit, he needed to move faster. Spotting a building that had a sign with a loaf of bread on it, Draco looked around desperately and spotted Hermione with a creepy looking man.

"Hermione!" he yelled, jogging over in a bit of a zig-zagging line since he wasn't too steady on his feet yet. Still, he wasn't letting some rapist take away Granger, whether or not they were upset with each other.

As soon as he reached her side, he grabbed her hand and held it tightly. "Shorry I'm late," he bowed his head sheepishly, "I fell ashleep at the inn..."

The man glared at Draco with a surly expression, contemplating if he should just hit this drunk idiot over the head and take the girl. Hermione looked at Draco with relief and clung tightly to his hand. She had never been so happy to see him before in her entire life. "It's okay, Draco," she breathed, keeping close to him, "wait, you are drunk! I can't believe you went drinking when everyone's waiting for us at home, worried sick." 'Everyone' wasn't waiting for them, but it was a good excuse to make the stranger get lost.

The man growled slightly and glanced around with a more nervous expression. "Well, it seems you should be on your way then, young miss. Have...a nice night." He gave her a leering smile that promised he be keeping an eye out for her, before moving on. Hermione let out a shaky breath she wasn't aware that she had been holding. That had been close.

"Stupid. Yoush shoulda used a wand," Draco grumbled, letting go of her hand and starting off back towards the grass without her. Now that the danger had passed he didn't feel like touching her. He was still mad and still drunk and stupid and still wanted her to hate him. "You shouldn't be heresh," Draco said coldly as he glanced back at her. Still...he couldn't just leave her here. "Coming or not?" he glared.

Hermione looked away to hide her hurt expression. Bastard. How could he change so easily between personalities? It was like he had schizophrenia and only one side of his brain even liked her. It just wasn't worth fighting with him right now though. It was too late and she was too mentally drawn to be thinking about anything complicated so she settled for letting out a soft sigh before following him over to the grass. "What did you do to your face?" she gasped, suddenly noticing his injuries.

"I fell," Draco said grumpily, "while _yoush_ was snogging Weasel." Collapsing back into the spot he had been in before, the blond curled up again and touched a finger gingerly to the sore, raw skin along his nose. That was all her fault. Stupid Granger. "Stop staring," Draco ordered, glaring up at her as he looked past to the stars. He was gorgeous, but she wasn't allowed to look. The stuck up, know-it-all might as well get used to the idea that he would never be hers. He still stood by his decision that they would never be right for each other and that she should hate him.

"I wasn't snogging him, you arse," she snapped, pulling out her wand and pointing it at him. Draco didn't even seem to notice as she healed his face the best she could. Ungrateful prat. She pocketed her wand, still feeling embarrassed for not remembering it back in the town, and walked away a little bit before slumping to the grass and laying down, looking up at the stars as well. She clearly wasn't going to get him to go anywhere tonight and it was only six or so hours until the sun came up again anyway. Hermione sighed heavily, wishing she had put warmer clothes on before coming out. She had only just started to get over her last cold and she was going to get another one for sure at this rate. It was beyond her how she got sick so easily.

Draco slowly dragged himself towards her, worried suddenly that some new creepy person might come and try to take her. It was taking too long to move though! Shoving himself up, he managed to stay on his feet long enough to fall right on top of Hermione and glanced around suspiciously. People always tried to take Hermione and he'd had enough of it.

Seeming oblivious to the fact that he was straddling her and sitting just below her stomach, the blond 'hero' continued to scan the horizon for signs of trouble, muttering about 'creepers'. Ironic really, since that's what _he_ was being right now.

Hermione's eyes shot open in surprise at Draco's sudden weight and looked up at him with wide eyes as he straddled her. Now, she knew this was probably a repetitive position for one such as Draco Malfoy, but she had never been as lucky to have a rather good looking guy sit on her. "Draco?" she asked, not entire sure what the hell he was doing. She listened to his mutterings for a few moments when he didn't respond and rolled her eyes.

"Draco, there are no creepers around," she told him curtly, inwardly pleased that he seemed so concerned about her.

"There could be," he shook his head, "theysh are...somewhere. And I'm tired ofsh chasing your arse around while yoush attract creepers." Draco sighed and looked down at her, wondering why she was underneath him. Weird girl.

Resuming his watchful position for a few more minutes, Draco lifted his head to look up at the sky for a few moments before groaning. His stomach didn't feel so great. Lying down would feel much nicer... Then just as suddenly as he had jumped on top of Hermione, he flopped down on top of her fully, snoring a few moments later as he passed out.

"Draco!" she squealed, trying to shove him of her. There was no response other then his quiet breathing. "Draco?" she asked uncertainly. That was when he started snoring in her ear. She let out an annoyed huff and prodded him hard in the side, trying to wake him for a little longer before finally giving up. That prat. Now she was trapped here until morning in a compromising position. She glared up at Draco for a while before realizing there was really nothing she could do and moved slightly underneath him so his body at least covered most of hers like a blanket. She was actually surprised at how warm he was. Cozy and warm... Eventually, amazingly even, Hermione drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later a familiar figure wrenched Draco roughly up into the air by the back of his shirt, shaking him. "Draco! Wake up!" Snape said sharply, looking angrier then he ever had before. How stupid could these two get?

"Five more minutes," Draco groaned, giving him the same response he'd given Hermione when she'd tried to wake him a few hours before. Dropping the blond boy back to the ground in disgust, Snape gently lifted Hermione into his arms and then grabbed hold of Draco's arm, apparating the three of them back to the front of the house. Levitating Draco's snoring body, Snape sighed and climbed the stairs with his son floating behind him and Hermione cradled in his arms. He slid the sleeping girl into her bed first and then headed to Draco's room, tucking him into bed with a surprising gentleness. His hand lingered on the boy's head and stroked his hair briefly before he went to tell a weeping Narcissa that the moronic children were all right.

It was well past midday when Hermione woke up and she grumpily sat up, looking around in wonder. Where was she? Hadn't she fallen asleep on some patch of grass somewhere using Draco as a blanket? This blanket did not look like Draco. She shook her head lightly with a frown and groggily slipped out of bed. Ugh. What time was it? The curly haired witch didn't bother to change as she stumbled out of her bedroom and down the stairs with a groan. Her body ached all over.

"Coffee...," she mumbled in a very zombie-like moan as she walked into the kitchen, smelling its rich aroma.

Draco woke an hour or so after her and when he dragged his sorry arse out of bed and staggered down the stairs, Snape gave him a nasty scowl. "Draco Malfoy, you drunken heathen. How _dare_ you put yourself and Hermione is that kind of danger last night. What if a death eater had discovered your location and snatched you both up while you were...sleeping?" He wasn't very interested in knowing what had happened before the sleeping, considering the position they'd been in. That lecture was for another time.

"Mornin'," Draco grouched, gently setting himself down in a chair. Every noise made his head pound and ache and his nose and cheek were a bit swollen, despite Hermione's healing efforts. At least he wasn't all blood stained, but he did stink like alcohol and he was still in his clothes from the night before.

"I don't know _what_ happened exactly, but young lady," he glared, looking to Hermione, "you are _absolutely_ forbidden from giving Draco any sort of hangover relief potions or anything for a headache. He can suffer the consequences of his actions. As for you...please try not to let my son's stupidity rub off on you so frequently. I suggest you both bathe and think about what could have happened and how utterly disappointed both Narcissa and I are with you two. Eat your breakfast." Shoving back his chair in an angry, fatherly fashion, Snape stalked upstairs with two cups of tea in his hands.

"Did you listen to a word of that?" she asked Draco, looking up blearily from the place her head had been nestled in her arms. It almost seemed like she was the one that was having the hang over. Probably being out in the cold all night had caused her flu to act up again and added to the feeling of being hit over the head with something blunt and heavy. She groaned softly and took another sip of coffee before setting the cup down and dropping her face back in her arms again, hiding it. Snape could yell all he wanted. She wasn't the one with the headache. It just felt really heavy and stuffed, for lack of better words.

She let out a loud yawn as she placed a hand that was covered by her jacket over her nose, trying to warm it up. She had been constantly freezing cold since waking up. It was suprising considering the amount of blankets that had been piled on top of her. Giving a small shiver, she decided that it might be a good idea to have a bath or a shower...something along those lines. She gave another small groan at the thought. That meant she would have to move...

"I'ma take a bath," Draco mumbled, rubbing his temples as he headed for the nearest bathroom, already pulling off clothes before he even got inside. Lupin came into the kitchen and rolled his eyes as he watched the blond staggering into the downstairs bathroom.

"I do hope you didn't let him get you into too much trouble," the smiling man said gently, sitting beside Hermione to rub her back. The poor girl looked more miserable then Draco. "Is there anything I can get for you, dear girl? Tea? Soup? A bit of chocolate?" Unlike Snape, he wasn't going to yell at them or be harsh. He just wanted to see Hermione happy, however that could be achieved. Ron had been moping about all morning, but had disappeared just before lunch and before the other teens had woken up. It seemed that Ron's presence no longer made her 'happy' though.

Draco started a nice hot bath, dropping all his clothes to the floor as he climbed into the steaming water. Even though his head still hurt, this felt so gloriously wonderful and his aching body felt a little bit more relaxed and at ease. Ah, maybe he could even take another nap.

Hermione looked up at Remus' voice with her hand still pressed over her nose. "I'm not in trouble," she said, shaking her head lightly with a slightly muffled voice. "I went looking for Draco because he left the house and I was worried. The idiot got drunk though and some old guy planned to force me back to his house. That's why Snape found Draco on top of me...," she trailed off, looking embarrassed, "he thought more perverts would try to get to me and he just...passed out there. He was too heavy to move." She finished explaining with a downcast look and took a deep breath to calm herself. Stupid Draco. A sudden feeling of sadness flooded through her and she buried her face in Remus' chest before she could start crying, just wanting some comfort.

Remus chuckled as he held her, stroking her back like she was his own child in need of comfort. The golden trio had been fairly close to his heart since Harry had discovered Sirius' true identity in third year. Ah...Sirius... Sighing very quietly, the saddened man drew his own comfort from the embrace as he thought of his good friend. And now...only him and Wormtail were left... The good two of their group already gone...murdered...

"You do care for Draco, don't you?" the scruffy looking man asked softly, "despite the way he's treated you all this time. I suppose what counts about a person's character is what they do when you need help."

"Of course I care for him!" she exclaimed, looking up with watery eyes, "he's just so stubborn and pigheaded...a lot like me." She let out a soft huff of annoyance and sniffled a couple time, hiding her face again. "And yes, I agree with you that what counts is a person's actions when you're in need of help." She held onto the man a little tighter as tears finally escaped down her cheeks. "I just wish... I mean couldn't he be nice other times?"

The two of them held each other tightly as Hermione tried to calm herself once more. "I hate Voldemort, he ruins everything," she said softly, "he killed so many people... He took Harry's parents from him and forced Draco to follow his bastard father and it's his fault Sirius is dead..." She sniffed again, squeezing Remus. "I miss Sirius."

"We all do," Remus whispered, his voice catching in his throat as he thought of his close friend. Even hearing that name spoken still made him want to sob. He only did when he was alone though. No one would know what to do if they saw him cry. Remus was supposed to be one of the 'strong' ones.

"But...you should see if you can work things out with your stubborn friend. I've always thought he had his reasons for being so rude. And he never particularly liked my attire, did he?" Smiling a little, he remembered the Slytherins mocking his tattered robes and thinking he actually cared. He would own nice things if there wasn't always the chance of destroying them...on a full moon.

"I try to work things out, I really do... I can only try so much though. I...I love him. I know I do," she said, looking up at the patient man hopelessly. "I know that I shouldn't. I mean, he's tormented me for six straight years and there isn't any possible way I could put all that behind me, right?" Remus said nothing and seemed to sense that she needed to talk everything out and get the confession off her chest. "But I did, "Hermione whispered, "without a second thought, I forgave him. I didn't think I would do something like that for anyone who had treated me the way he did...but I did. It makes no sense." She shook her head lightly and gave a small laugh. "And your robes are just fine."

She could still feel his hand making comforting patterns on her back and smiled weakly. "You know Remus...it's easier to cry when you're upset if you have someone there to cry with…" She paused and chose her next words carefully. "I know that you miss Sirius more then any of us."

"You know that, do you?" Remus smiled fondly, brushing curly hair out of Hermione's face, "well I suppose I do miss him a great deal. I miss James as well... It's hard losing people that matter to you." Closing his eyes briefly, he suddenly pulled out a bar of chocolate and broke off a piece, offering some to Hermione. It always cheered him up since it reminded him of the year he'd taught at Hogwarts...the year Sirius had been in hiding and he'd taken him in. That was all over now though. He needed to stop depressing himself.

"I should be going though, Hermione. I have quite a few things to tend to. Cheer up, and tell that boy to swallow his pride and love you." Giving her a gentle squeeze, Lupin released Hermione and stood, seeming a bit down as he savored a bite of chocolate.

Draco, in the mean time, had fallen asleep in the bath and was slipping down into the water, slowly. If he wasn't careful he might go completely under... And of course, being the idiot he was at the moment, that wouldn't necessarily wake him up.

She gave a small nod as she accepted the chocolate. "Thank you," she smiled, giving him one last big hug as they walked together to the door. "I'll say just that, for fun, to see what his reaction his, but I doubt it will make much difference." Wiping away tears from her eyes, Hermione gave him another smile and a hug before she watched him walk off beyond the wards and vanish. She shut the door and felt a small shiver of cold go through her again. Draco had been in the bathroom long enough, it was her turn now.

Heading towards the bathroom door, she banged on it with surpressed annoyance. "Draco! What are you doing in there?" she demanded. "It's been ages and I want my bath!"

There was a loud splash and some spluttering from the other side of the door as Draco was woken abruptly from his nap and inhaled a large amount of bath water. Glaring at the door, he threw the soap as if it would hit her instead of the door and began shampooing his hair.

"Not done," the blond said pointedly, "so you can join me or wait your turn." He gazed down into the bubble bath and felt pretty girly. Why had he added bubble bath anyhow? Scrubbing his hair gently, Draco glanced back to the door again. Hopefully she'd piss off. Or just use the other bloody bathroom. He couldn't really remember if there was a tub or not in that one, but he didn't care. She could wait her turn.

Hermione growled slightly and stormed away to use the other bathroom. She was about to open the door when she heard a soft laugh on the other side and then Snape's voice speaking in a low, seductive tone. She shuddered and retreated, feeling she'd have better luck with Draco. "Other bathroom's occupied so get your pale arse out Draco!" she snapped, knocking on the door once more as she returned.

When she didn't get a reply however she sighed and rubbed her temples, hoping to merlin that he had something covering his personal parts. She was about to do something drastic. Shoving open the door, she stalked in and glared angrily at the blond, placing her hands on her hips. Maybe she could shock him out the bathroom? Who knew. He would certainly not want her to view his naked bits and pieces even though she had already partially seen him naked anyway. She shook her head quickly to banish that memory and refocused on glaring. She didn't need this right now.

"Out."

"_You_ get in or get out," Draco glared right back, crossing his arms and looking quite silly since he had bubbles all around him and his hair was all soapy and sticking out at odd angles. He wasn't even done washing up, let alone conditioning his hair once the shampoo was rinsed out and then using his special body wash that conditioned the skin and made it so much softer... Oh merlin...there was no way he was explaining all _that_ to Granger.

"Well?" Draco raised his eyebrows, a slight smirk playing across his lips even as his headache pounded away.

Hermione's glare quickly became a look of shock as she took in his bubbled appearance, biting down on the inside of her cheek as she held in a giggle. She was very clearly straining not to laugh as her cheeks went red and her face twitched between frowning and smiling. Finally she couldn't handle it anymore and just burst out laughing, resting a hand against the tub for support as tears of mirth came to her eyes.

If he got offended maybe he'd just leave. Either way, she couldn't help laughing at how rediculous he looked sitting in the bubble-filled tub. All that was missing was a little rubber ducky and then it would be priceless.

"A-Are you _laughing_ at me?!" the angry blond demanded, splashing water at her. Her laughter was starting to hurt his head and when she didn't stop after he'd glared at her for a good two minutes, he did the one thing he could think of to make her stop.

Grabbing her wrist and yanking to throw her off balance, he snickered as Hermione went splashing into the large tub, clothes and all. "So nice of you to join me," he said sarcastically, glancing towards the door. People could get the wrong idea if they came in... Where was his wand?

Hermione let out a girly squeal of surprise, quite out of character, as she was yanked into the bath with him. Her head went under for a moment before she came up covered in bubbles and spluttering. "Y-You-" she stammered, pointing a finger at him accusingly. She was in a bath with a naked Draco... She was in a bath with a _naked_ Draco. She was in a bath with a naked Draco!

Someone needed to pinch her. And then get her the hell out of here.

"I-I?" Draco smirked, liking her flustered appearance, "I, what? I'm the most gorgeous naked man you've ever been in a bathtub with before?" Smirking again, he slid a little closer to her, just to freak her out. He was, after all, completely starkers.

Spotting his wand in the pile of his clothes, he snatched it up and locked and silenced the door so no one would hear them...or be able to get in. He turned his attention back to the terrified looking girl and grinned. "You just made my day, Granger."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. She could handle this. She wouldn't let him freak her out when she had seen his naked arse before. Hell, she had slept in the same bed with him when he was naked. "I would hardly call you a man, Draco," she snorted, tossing her wet hair over her shoulder. He may be starkers, but she wasn't. A thing which she was incredibly thankful for since it gave her the upper hand. Hold on...had he just locked and silenced the room? What the hell was he planning?

"Is this another attempt to make me hate you?" she asked innocently, propping her elbows up on either side of the bath and leaning her head against a hand with an almost bored expression.

"Well you'd certainly hate someone who raped you, now wouldn't you?" Draco said coldly, sliding back to his end of the tub. He'd forgotten about that for a minute, just enjoying bugging her. Well if she was going to be that way then he just wouldn't speak to her. Calmly washing his hair, he reached up to grab the showerhead to rinse his hair, nearly lifting past his waist out of the water to reach high enough.

He didn't even look at her as he rinsed the soap from his hair and leaned around Hermione to grab his conditioner. Stupid bloody witch.

"Yes, I probably would hate someone who did that, but you dont' have it in you. Deep down you could never rape anyone," she told him, watching him closely. He was clearly trying to ignore her now. Hermione sighed and appeared resigned to the fact that she was now in the bath with Draco Malfoy, slowly starting to peel off her top layer. She was definitely not getting naked with him around, but her jacket was heavy and water-logged and it was uncomfortable. She wanted it off. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she struggled for a bit and finally got the jacket off, setting it down onto the the bathroom floor.

It seemed that she was now invisible to Draco as he hummed to himself and massaged conditioner into his hair, his eyes staring at the wall in a distant way. He was trying not to listen to the truth in her words. She knew he'd never rape her, just like how he couldn't kill anyone. What fun were threats when the person you were threatening trusted you with their life?

Rinsing his hair once again, Draco went through his usual ritual and started on the bodywash next. The problem with this was that he usually sat on the edge of the bathtub to get his legs and...such. _That_ thought brought him back to reality. There was a girl in his bath.

After removing her jacket, Hermione leaned her head lightly against the side of the bath and had actually fallen asleep. She couldn't help herself. It was just so relaxing and warm in the water that she seemed to have just been knocked out by it. Plus there was a strange smell that for some odd reason relaxed her. It was the way that Draco always smelled...it was that stupid bubble bath.

She mumbled something softly as she moved her head to the side and curled up more comfortably.

"If you're going to sleep, then you won't mind if I take some of those wet clothes off of you, right?" Draco murmured, peering closely into her face as he scrubbed his arms. Was she really sleeping? How could she _sleep_ in a situation like this? He was naked for fucks sake! Sighing, Draco stayed there, inches from her face as he smirked and waiting for her to open her eyes. Was she planning to get all wrinkled and pruney in her clothes? It wasn't going to be much fun peeling off the soggy items when she eventually woke up.

Hermione was in a deep sleep now and no amount of threatening was going to wake her up. She was having quite a nice dream actually, one that involved the very blond that was sitting across from her in the tub. She wriggled slightly, her nose wrinkling as her dream started to turn into a nightmare and her lips moved as she began muttering things about wormtail and timeturners. She talked in her sleep...who would have guessed.

Rolling his eyes, Draco slid his hands under the water to feel the bottom of her shirt. If _she_ wasn't going to get undressed, then he'd just have to help her. Plus, he kind of wanted to see what Granger looked like in her wet panties...

He held his breath, unsure if she'd wake up or not and started to drag the dripping material upwards. Surprisingly, she was still mumbling to herself as she adjusted for him to make it easier to get off. Chuckling once he got the shirt up and over her head, Draco tossed the shirt away and slid his hands down her bare arms, sliding them downwards as he started for her pants. Brilliant. He wouldn't have to be murdered if she was sleeping...

Hermione mumbled a little louder at the disturbance he was causing before her eyes snapped open to see Draco leaning over her with a slight grin. He hadn't noticed that she was awake yet and her gaze flickered to her arms where his hands were trailing a path downwards. She was going to faint. No! She would murder him and then faint. Wait just a damn minute. She wasn't wearing a shirt! What the hell was he doing, undressing her while she was sleeping?! The complete and utter prick. She bit back humiliated tears as she shoved him hard away from her and scrambled out of the bath without a word. She grabbed up the only towel in the room and wrapped it tightly around herself before going to the door, realizing it wouldn't open until Draco removed his spells. She whirled around with murder evident in her gaze.

"Open it."

Draco paled and looked around for his wand, unable to keep his eyes from darting back towards her. Dammit! He hadn't actually looked yet, he had been so preoccupied with getting the pants off as well. "Y-You aren't even bathed yet!" he protested, patting the water in a friendly gesture, "I was just...trying to help..." Ha, he had just wanted to see her naked and she knew it. But was that really such a bad thing to want?

Biting his lip, he shook his head. Now was _not_ the time. "I'm not opening it, Hermione," he said slowly, "unless you get into this tub and finish your bath..." He had the sudden desire to wash her. Not even in a way that would make her uncomfortable, just her back and shoulders maybe...her hair...ah the untamable hair. This was disturbing on so many levels. Since when did Draco Malfoy want to touch any young woman in a non-sexual manner? Before he could stop himself, another word slipped out of his mouth. "Please?"

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before crossing her arms. "Fine. I'll get back in, but only if..." She trailed off as she studied him, trying to think of something that he would never agree to. "If you admit you love me, mean it, and promise not to try and make me hate you again since we both know it won't work." She continued to glare at him stubbornly as he stared at her in disbelief.

"Swallow your pride and admit it, Draco," she stated, trying out the words that Remus had said.

"Ha," Draco scoffed, "for me to have to say that I want you in here _naked_." He raised his eyebrows at her as he bargained, trying not to grin. Draco knew she'd never go for it, but he just had to say it. Hermione wanted something that required a lot of trust and guts to do so he was simply requesting something similar. He didn't even have to watch her getting in or anything, just wash her and make his hands behave themselves. But...he had a feeling that neither of them were going to get what they wanted.

And he was scared to say that...to promise to keep meaning it...

"Ha," she scoffed in return, "like I'm going to do that when you supposedly don't love me." He really had a screw loose if he thought she would just climb back in that tub with no clothes separating them. Hermione leaned back against the door and crossed her arms over her chest. "I would only get naked for someone that loves me, thank you," she stated simply, refusing to give in. "I'm not a slut like the girls you're used to and I don't want to experience a naked bath with a man I'm not planning on being with for the rest of my life." She shook her head and wondered just how many naked baths Draco had already had in his lifetime. Was she any different to him than any of them or was she just another 'challenge'? Not to mention the fact that if she got in there naked then it would mean that both of them would be naked... She wasn't an idiot. Anyone would know what something like that could lead too.

"You're asking me to trust you and take a risk...that's all I'm asking as well," Draco retorted, seeming annoyed that she thought he was trying to treat her like some kind of slut, "but just forget it. Get out." He felt around and released the spells on the door as he found his wand.

"You can take your bloody bath when I'm done in here." And with that Draco was back to scrubbing his arms, doing his best to keep the hurt expression off of his face. He could never think of Hermione like how people thought of people like Lavender and Pansy. She wasn't like that and she _knew_ that he didn't think she was. So she could go be a prat out of his bathroom.

"It's completely different kind of trust and you know it," she grumbled, looking down at the ground uncomfortably, "you may be comfortable with your body, but I'm not. I've never slept with anyone. I've never let anyone see me naked and I don't have that confidence." Her voice had grown softer and she could feel Draco's eyes on her. It was horribly embarrassing to be telling him this so she hoped he didn't throw it back in her face. "And...you're not exactly being the nicest guy on the planet about it either. You haven't even tried to make me comfortable..."

"You mean to tell me that even Weasel hasn't...seen you?" Draco breathed, everything clicking into place in his mind as it all made sense. So _that's_ why she was so shy about this sort of stuff. Hell, she'd dated that Krum fellow and he'd assumed that she'd done more then kiss him from the rumors that went around, even if they hadn't shagged. And the idea that no one had ever seen what was below her, often, many layers of clothing made him itch to see it even more.

"Why didn't you just say all that before?" he frowned, moving to stand up and go to her before he remembered that he was naked. Dammit. This was not really the greatest time to discuss all of this, but he knew if they stopped that it would probably never come up again. "But...you...your body...I mean...christ...I don't understand how you weren't convinced to show _someone_..." He trailed off, shaking his head and bubbles landed on the bathmat.

She couldn't believe she was really having this conversation...and with a naked Draco to boot. "I haven't said all this before maybe because it's embarrassing?" she suggested, sighing slightly and looking at the door before looking back to Draco. She really didn't know what she should do. She could make a run for it, but Draco seemed to be acting nice at the moment and she didn't want to ruin that.

She hesitated for a few moments, studying the blond, before she closed her eyes and unbuttoned her pants, pushing them down with a pounding heart. As she stepped out of the soggy denim and kicked it to the side, she could feel a blush rising in her cheeks.

Yep, she had definitely crossed her comfort zone line.

Draco felt his mouth drop open as she actually began the slide her pants off, unable to take his eyes off of each inch of creamy skin that was exposed. There was no way this was really happening. He had just drowned in the bathtub and was hallucinating from the lack of oxygen...

His gaze swept over her form, drinking her in. Her body was a lot softer looking then Pansy's, and curvier. She had a more womanly appearance, less scrawny and skinny then most girls in their year. Some people might consider it 'fat', but she looked bloody perfect... A lot nicer then the girls he normally went for that starved themselves for weeks at a time. "Wow...," he breathed, his eyes clearly expressing how in awe he felt. And Hermione was trusting him... Right! Hermione. She must feel naked as it was without him ogling her.

"You...c-coming in?" he asked shyly, looking down at the water. What...the...hell... Why did he feel like this? Bashful...

Hermione's cheeks were flaming red at this point. However, he had said 'naked' and she wanted him to know that she trusted him...so that he could trust her in return. She had chosen to do this. He hadn't forced her to undress and had even gave her the option of leaving and taking her bath after. She just wished her hands would stop shaking... Taking a deep breath, she removed her bra and was thankful that he had looked away for now. Once she was completely naked, she felt a lot more shy and hesitantly slipped into the other side of the thankfully large bath, the water still warm from an enchantment that had been placed over the bath a long time ago, probably when the Black's first built the mansion.

"Yeah, I'm coming in," she said with a small embarrassed smile, grateful that the bubbles pretty much covered her.

Draco glanced up with red cheeks as she watched him, nearly immersed up to her shoulders in the water. Well...she was hiding herself and he didn't blame her. He wasn't exactly wanting to hop up out of the water himself. "Turn around," he said softly, holding out his hand towards her.

He felt like he was in charge again somehow, probably because he had had experience with this sort of thing. Although he'd never shared a bath with his girlfriends. Most of the girls were a one night thing and never got more then a 'thank you' before he chased them out.

Hermione hesitated only slightly before taking hold of his hand and pulling herself closer to him as she turned around, letting out a breath she once again wasn't aware of holding. She briefly shut her eyes after she had turned around and felt even more exposed. Now that she was sitting up properly, the top half of her back was exposed to him. She released his hand nervously and wondered what he was going to do as her own hand sank back down into her lap.

She seriously couldn't believe that she was doing this.

Reaching around her to his body wash again, Draco squeezed a bit into his hand and gently massaged it into her bare shoulders, his fingers ghosting over her arms in places since he still felt weird touching her. He smiled a little, realizing that now she would smell like him. Sliding up a little so he was on his knees, Draco leaned forward even further, touching his lips against her cheek in a shy kiss. He didn't try to actually kiss her though and moved back again, his chest brushing against her back as he moved. He slid his hands down her sides to her hips and back up again, too chicken to move them anywhere else.

"Would you like me to do your hair?" he whispered, feeling his face going even redder as he spoke. This was...weird. And different. One of these days he would tell Hermione that he had been a 'bathtub virgin' and that she was his first. Ha, she would like that.

Hermione's body shivered under his touch. She hated to admit it, but she was enjoying the bath more then she thought she would. "My hair doesn't need a much fixing as you think it is," she told him softly, glancing over her shoulder. Her eyes studied his blushing face for a moment before she gave him a small, sweet smile. "It just looks a little untamed," she showed him, reaching up near her scalp and lacing her fingers into her hair. She pulled her fingers down to the end without catching a single knot and smiled again.

"Are you sure...that you want to though?" she asked, looking a little doubtful. All this touching was making her a little nervous and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to resist anything he did once he began massaging shampoo into her hair in the gentle way he'd cleaned her back.

"I want to," he confirmed, following her example and running his fingers lightly through her hair. He hadn't expected it to be so soft... Why did it look so wild and crazy if it was tangle-free? Shaking the silly thoughts from his mind, Draco grabbed up the shampoo and the showerhead, biting his lip. She needed to lean back...

"Uh...Hermione?" he blushed, "can you lean back a little for me?" If she didn't then he was going to get soapy water all in her eyes, but if she did... Well, he was about to get a nice view.

Hermione bit her bottom lip nervously as she gave a small nod in confirmation. Clearly, she had lost her mind. She gently grabbed hold of each side of the bath tub and leaned back enough that she was almost looking at Draco upside down. She gave him a brief smile to let him know that she was still trusting him and swallowed hard. This was the most terrifying thing she had ever done. Finally her eyes fluttered closed, letting him do what he wished. She was completely vulnerable to anything that he would try and he probably knew it. She just hoped he wouldn't stuff it up by doing something stupid.

Draco inhaled sharply as her movements lifted the front of her body out of the water as well. _Don't do it Malfoy... Don't look... _He was so bloody tempted to stare down at her naked chest, but he won the inner battle for once and just leaned the back of her head against his chest. He let the water from the showerhead run down over her hair, his other hand carefully resting at the edge of her hair to keep water from her eyes.

Very slowly, Draco began to massage the shampoo into the soft curls, still fighting so many new urges that were overwhelming him. Okay...so this was position was very unfair to him, but he needed to stay under control and remember that Hermione was going out on a limb by trusting him.

His lips found her ear and he kissed it once before whispering softly. "I love you." And as if he hadn't said anything, he resuming his task, still massaging her scalp expertly. When it came to hair...well...Draco knew more then probably their entire year of guys put together. It seemed that he'd forgotten all about Hermione needing to hate him in light of having her naked body in his arms.

A soft smile formed on Hermione's lips at the three small words that Draco had uttered. It made all the trouble she had gone through the last few days worthwhile in her mind, but she did nothing to show that she had heard him. That was all she wanted in return. A simple confession. She knew that he felt uncomfortable around the subject.

"I've decided something," Hermione's spoke finally, feeling like she was heaven as Draco's hands continued to massage the shampoo into her hair.

"That you _aren't_ going to murder me for having thoughts about looking at your chest?" Draco smirked, continuing his gentle movements before rinsing the shampoo from her hair and grabbing the conditioner next. She was getting royal treatment. And from Draco Malfoy. He normally never spoiled anyone but himself.

Waiting curiously to hear what she decided, Draco put a generous amount of conditioner in Hermione's hair, thinking that she probably needed it.

"Well, I've had a good look at your arse so I can't really be mad at you for it now can I?" Hermione smirked lightly, unaware of Draco's striken expression. "I'm just surprised you haven't looked already," she added with a small chuckle. "No...I've decided that you should wash my hair from now on. You do it a lot better than I do," she informed him as she rested a little more against his chest, letting out a small sigh of contentment. What that really meant was that she was inviting him to spend more time naked with her as long as it was in a bubblebath filled tub of water.

Who could blame her? This was Draco Malfoy after all. Even if she hadn't been in love with him already, she doubted she could have resisted this kind of treatment.

Draco dropped the conditioner bottle in surprise at her words and blushed bright red as he searched through the bath water for it, his hand brushing against her thigh. "Dammit, now look what you made me do," he said softly, his tone more teasing then angry, "and for your information I haven't looked at your chest and when did you see my arse?!" The blonde frowned and knew there wasn't any other time he had been naked with her except...that little minx.

"You were checking me out while I was sleeping and have the nerve to get mad at me when I do the same?" he rolled his eyes, knowing that it had been different though since he had been trying to undress Hermione when she wasn't naked to begin with.

"Did you...like it?" Draco finally asked, grinning like mad.

Hermione chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Well, Draco, the conditioner is between my back and you so I've got more frightening things to find if I go looking for it. You can keep looking." She laughed softly at his protests and felt strangely light and happy. This was nice. "Also, it wasn't my fault that you were already naked when I walked in," she huffed lightly, "you tried to undress me while I was sleeping."

Thinking about the bum she had viewed, she grinned. "It's silly to ask if I liked it. Of course I do. If I like it in those bloody green tight pants then I'm going to like it when it's naked."

"You're a bloody perv," he snorted, tentatively feeling for the bottle and snatching it up. Secretly, he was glad she hadn't gone feeling around behind her. That could have been...awkward. But at least she liked his arse...maybe she wouldn't be so opposed to seeing it in her bed sometime.

Settling the bottle back in its place, Draco finished massaging her hair again and rinsed out the condition, realizing he was running out of things to wash. As he ran the warm water over her hair and shoulders, he leaned down and pressed a very gentle kiss the her shoulder, just as his mother walked in...

* * *

Oh no! How is Draco going to talk his way out of trouble this time? Too bad for them Narcissa interupted or Hermione might have gotten more than she bargained for. XD All we can hope is that Draco doesn't dump all the blame on Hermione and that all of you will leave lovely reviews for us! Thanks for reading and see you all next chapter!


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